Of Crime and Coffee
by Orange-Green
Summary: FBI Agent Aubrey Posen doesn't have time for love. Not with the body count beginning to rise and always another crime to solve. But a certain redhead with a flair for designer coffee drinks may just change her mind. AU, Chaubrey
1. Chapter 1

Of Crime and Coffee

FBI Agent Aubrey Posen doesn't have time for love. Not with the body count beginning to rise and always another crime to solve. But a certain redhead with a flair for designer coffee drinks may just change her mind.

A/N – Totally AU and just for fun. I don't own anything you recognize. Also, I'm not a cop or criminal so don't expect the police story lines to be too advanced. Thanks for reading!

Chapter One

Agent Aubrey Posen clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes at the perpetrator in her sights. She squared her shoulders as she prepared to make her move on the wrongdoer. The blonde steeled her nerves and stepped forward. She placed her cup of coffee down on the counter more forcefully than she intended. The woman behind the counter jumped slightly in surprise but smiled when she saw who had approached, her bright blue eyes shining.

"Back for another already? You must have a busy day ahead of you."

Aubrey pursed her lips and shook her head. "This…is not what I ordered."

The young woman working in the coffee shop dropped her gaze to the cup of coffee on the counter and then back up at the blonde. She still didn't wipe the smile off her face. "I'm sorry about that. I'll be happy fix it for you. What would you like?"

"Black coffee." Aubrey said, her words clear and crisp. "This is the third time you've given me the wrong drink. I always order plain black coffee. This…is a sugary, whipped creamed, caramel flavored monstrosity."

The woman tucked a strand of red hair behind her ear and quirked a brow. Then to Aubrey's surprise, the woman reached for her drink and took a sip. Her eyes closed as she savored the flavor of the coffee masterpiece.

"This is a salted caramel and vanilla latte with just a hint of almond and topped with whipped cream. It just happens to be my go-to drink. Well, my go-to coffee drink anyway. You didn't like it?"

The redheaded woman tilted her head to the side slightly as she waited for Aubrey's response. The blonde felt her cheeks reddening and her mouth went dry as she seemed to get lost in the woman's striking blue eyes. She squared her shoulders once again. "It's diabetes in a cup."

Blue eyes sparkled with laughter at Aubrey's words. "Ok, so maybe it is a little sweet. I can try to find something else you might like. Let's see-"

"Coffee." Aubrey said again, curtly. "Black coffee…please."

The woman's smile finally faded and she nodded. "Right. Black coffee coming right up."

Aubrey felt a twinge of guilt at the frown on the pretty woman's face as she turned away to get her replacement drink. She forced a smile to her face as the woman placed a larger cup of coffee in front of her than she had originally ordered.

"So, will you tell me your name so I can fully apologize? I can't let a pretty lady leave unsatisfied."

The blonde felt her cheeks flush again in embarrassment at the detour her thoughts veered off on involuntarily. The redhead's grin widened at the sight as if she knew exactly what the taller woman was thinking.

"Aubrey." She replied quietly. "Aubrey Posen."

The redhead nodded once, pleased with herself. She reached and pulled both a slice of pound cake and a fruit and yogurt parfait and placed them down on the counter with the coffee. "Well Aubrey, I sincerely apologize for mixing up your order-three times-and I would really appreciate it if you would take these as well. All on the house of course."

Aubrey sighed but smiled genuinely as the shorter woman finished her speech with a small curtsey. "Apology accepted. And thank you."

The barista nodded once again, still smiling. "I'm Chloe by the way. Chloe Beale."

Aubrey smiled in return and gathered her food and coffee as she turned to leave. "Have a nice day."

"You too Aubrey." Chloe called. "See you tomorrow?"

The blonde simply nodded in return, already focused on the day ahead as she pushed the door open with her shoulder and stepped out into the morning. Chloe watched her go with a sigh.

"Well that went well." Chloe glanced over her shoulder where her friend and coworker, Jesse Swanson, stood with his arms crossed and a goofy grin on his face. "You've been flustered over that pretty blonde for weeks now and you messed up her drink order. And not once, but three times? It's like the easiest drink order ever…black coffee. Good job Chlo."

The redhead laughed and shrugged. "Well, how else was I ever going to get her to talk to me? Every morning when she comes in and orders she's usually got her nose buried in her phone or seems in a rush. Desperate times my friend. I had to do something!"

Jesse laughed as Chloe began to wipe down the countertops. "You did that on purpose?"

"Got her name finally didn't I?" She replied with a smirk. "That's progress if you ask me."

"Yeah sure," he replied. "How many times have you gone back to a place that screwed up your order that many times?"

Chloe's smile faded in realization. "Well shit."

Jesse laughed again before stepping up to the counter to take the next customer's order.

xxxx

Aubrey didn't return to the coffee shop the next morning. Or the next. Chloe's heart sank with the realization that she had most likely turned the beautiful blonde off of the shop with her stunt. Jesse smiled sympathetically as two days passed with no sign of the other woman.

xxxx

"You ready Mitchell?"

Beca Mitchell rolled her eyes at the serious tone of her partner's voice. But still she once again checked to be certain that the safety was off on her pistol. "Yep, ready."

"Ok." Aubrey replied, with a resolute nod. "We're all in position, let's do this."

The team of FBI agents quickly descended upon the target, two groups entering from the front and two from the back. The occupants were taken completely by surprise as they counted out the money from their most recent transaction, never realizing the bills had been marked and tracked.

"FBI, don't move!"

And within seconds it was all over. The drug traffickers were taken into custody and the agents began collecting the evidence.

"Excellent work Agent Posen."

The blonde smiled and nodded slightly in the direction of her Deputy Chief when he arrived on scene. "Thank you Sir. I'm relieved it went so smoothly, thanks mostly to the great undercover work on the deal itself. The team did a great job!"

The tall, balding man once again congratulated her before moving on to address the other agents. Aubrey couldn't help but feel proud of herself. It was only her second case as lead agent and it had been executed flawlessly. Not even the smirk on her partner's face could ruin her mood.

"Able Aubrey." Beca Mitchel said, smirk ever present, as Aubrey finished up her debriefing of the operation. "Able…Abe. I like it! From now on I'll call you Abe."

"No you won't." Aubrey replied coolly. "Don't call me that.

"Why?" Beca asked. "What's wrong with this one?"

The blonde nodded to another agent as they cleared out and accepted congratulations from another. "Nothing more than the last two nicknames you've tried to come up with for me. They are a waste of time and frivolous. My name is Aubrey. If you insist on calling me something other than that, Agent Posen is perfectly acceptable."

The brunette rolled her eyes at her partner's formal tone. "You know we've been partners for a while now. I'm not going to call you Agent Posen. You're not my grandmother."

The blonde ignored her as she finished wrapping up the day. Beca just sighed as she set about helping her partner finish clearing the scene. A short time later they were finally ready to depart.

"Man, I'm starving." Beca said as they made their way back to their unmarked vehicle.

Aubrey glanced sideways at her partner and quirked a brow. Beca met the blonde's gaze with a quirked brow of her own.

"What? We just kicked ass and now I'm hungry. What's the problem?"

Aubrey finally chuckled and rolled her eyes. Her partner could not have been more different from herself. Beca was relaxed and almost careless at times. Aubrey herself was rigid and a strict rule follower. Rules were there for a reason and most often, if you simply followed the rules, you would have a favorable outcome.

Her father was a strict military man and drilled order and structure into her from an early age. Clearly Beca had not been taught the same. She looked nothing like what an FBI agent typically looked like. Her eye liner was thick, her clothing looked more rocker than law enforcement. But the blonde had to admit that she was a fairly decent agent.

She had at first been upset at having been paired with the petite brunette as her partner. Beca seemed to have no problem with calling Aubrey out and challenging her on nearly every decision. But she had backed her when needed as well.

Protocol called for the two of them to return to headquarters and get started on the mountain of paperwork that went with any operation. But Aubrey was in too good a mood to retreat to the office yet. And Beca had for once followed the plan exactly as it had been laid out. In Aubrey's estimation, the brunette deserved some amount of positive reinforcement.

"I know a good spot…not too far from here." Aubrey said softly. "It's a coffee shop but they have sandwiches and pastries too."

Beca narrowed her eyes, surprised the other woman agreed so easily. There must be some catch. Or some reason the blonde wanted to go to this particular coffee shop. "Yeah, ok. That's great. Thanks Aubrey."

The blonde smiled and looked pleased with herself. Beca smirked and couldn't help but wonder what she was going to find at this coffee shop.

xxxx

Beca bit her lip to keep from chuckling when she caught sight of Aubrey's cheeks flushing bright red as the woman behind the counter of the coffee shop beamed at them as they walked through the door. She quirked a brow and continued to fight a smile as Aubrey immediately seemed to revert from her stoic, rigid self, into that of an awkward, nervous teenager confronted with their crush.

The pretty redhead was still smiling widely as they stepped up to the counter.

"Hey there Aubrey." She said, her bright blue eyes sparkling. "It's always good to see a regular customer. I was afraid we'd lost your business after that whole coffee mix-up. What can I get you?"

Aubrey seemed preoccupied with straightening her suit jacket and hadn't responded to the smiling woman across from them. Beca smirked and moved to edge the other woman out of the way so she could place her order.

"Well, for starters, give me your best caramel flavored coffee drink." Beca said as she scanned the menu for food items. "Oh and that cream pastry. And this bagel…with extra cream cheese."

Aubrey quirked a brow at the shorter woman's order while Chloe smiled excitedly.

"I know just the caramel coffee drink for you…ask Aubrey here, she's sampled it!" Chloe said with a chuckle.

Beca grinned up at the taller blonde. "Has she now? Does Aubrey here frequent your establishment often?"

"Oh nearly every morning…until I screwed up her coffee order a few days ago." Chloe replied. "I was worried we had lost her business but here she is, back again! And bringing new customers!"

"Oh she practically begged me to come here with her." Beca said in return. "We just finished busting this nasty drug trafficker and I was about to pass out from hunger and Aubrey here, she saved the day and said she knew just the spot."

Chloe's eyes widened and her jaw dropped slightly. "Are you guys like cops or something?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes as Beca continued with a smirk, clearly enjoying the banter. "Even better though. We're FBI agents…Partners actually…but only in the professional sense." She ended with a wink and Aubrey felt her cheeks flush once again.

"Well then," the redhead replied as she placed the brunette's order on the counter in front of her, "your order is on me. Thanks for your service ladies."

Beca quirked a brow and smirked as the redhead's attention was focused solely on Aubrey. "And we thank you."

With that, Beca stepped away from the counter hoping to witness the interaction between the two as Aubrey stepped squarely to the counter.

"Black coffee." Chloe said softly before giving the blonde the chance to order. "Anything to go with it?"

Aubrey smiled and shrugged. "That fruit and yogurt parfait was really good. I'll take another one of those."

Chloe's smile widened and she nodded. "Coming right up Aubrey. It's really good to see you again. Like I said, I was worried that you wouldn't come back after that coffee drink mix up. We take pleasing our customers very seriously here at Bellas Coffee Café. Thanks for giving us another chance."

Aubrey grinned shyly back at the redhead and nodded.

Chloe turned quickly to gather the blonde's order. Aubrey's brow quirked as two coffee cups were placed in front of her. "But I only ordered coffee-"

"Oh I know, it's right here." Chloe replied scooting one cup closer to the blonde. "But this, is my newest creation. Just try it. A hint of vanilla and peppermint, just a hint, and no caramel or whipped cream. It's just black coffee with a subtle touch of flavor. Let me know what you think."

Aubrey swallowed thickly and nodded. "Thanks, I will."

She gathered her items and turned away, to find Beca smirking at her. She clenched her jaw and strode purposefully toward the door.

"Thank you!" Beca called back to the redhead behind the counter. "This place is terrific. I'll definitely be back…Aubrey too I'm sure."

Chloe smiled and waved as the pair disappeared.

Beca couldn't help but chuckle as Aubrey sniffed the coffee drink made especially for her. She watched as the taller woman took a tentative sip.

"Well, how is it?"

Aubrey quickly shot a glare at the brunette as she put the drink back into the cup holder between the seats of their car. "It's fine. But so is my normal order."

"Ya know," Beca said absentmindedly as she glanced out the window once the blonde started the car and pulled out of the parking lot, "black coffee is pretty easy to do yourself. You just plug in the pot and put the coffee and water in and out comes plain ole black coffee. You wouldn't have to go to a shop to buy it. Just think of the money you could be saving."

Aubrey glanced at the brunette next to her and cleared her throat. "I suppose. But I also like to support local business owners."

Beca smirked. "I bet you do."

xxxx

Aubrey was already out of sorts when she pulled up to the latest crime scene she had been called to report to. It was early in the morning and there hadn't been time to stop for coffee, not even the nasty gas station coffee she settled for occasionally. And while Bellas Coffee Café had its obvious perks, the blonde did in fact function better with coffee in her system so the early start had left her unsettled. That had been well over an hour ago and she felt a headache coming on, both from the lack of caffeine and the stress of her newest case.

"Hey, how's it looking?"

Aubrey turned on her heel. After nearly an hour and a half of analyzing the scene, the forensics unit arriving to finish collecting the evidence was a welcome sight.

"Another body…this time she's blonde, mid-thirties, early forties."

"Fifth one in two months." Beca interjected, stepping closer to the pair and casting her gaze around her surroundings. "Fucking cliché spot to dump a body. Shady tunnel underneath train tracks. God, it's even raining."

Aubrey glanced up as a train clattered on the tracks above their heads. "We've got an ID on the body, her purse was dumped with her. She doesn't fit the pattern, she's older. A stay at home mom."

"They're connected." Beca replied. "We just haven't found how yet. But we will. Five women here in Georgia in two months, three in South Carolina, two in Tennessee. All dumped, all seemingly random…too random. It is not a coincidence."

The blonde glanced to the shorter woman. "Random does not equal a connection…you should know that."

"They are connected." She replied. "I have a feeling."

Aubrey smirked. "A feeling? Like a hunch?"

"Yes, like a hunch." Beca shot back. "You know, like an instinct, gut feeling? That thing that makes us good at our job?"

"I prefer to deal in facts." Aubrey replied. "And the fact is, we have a few random victims with no traceable connection other than they've been dumped randomly. We've been through this and through this Beca…we have no quantifiable evidence that we have a serial killer on our hands. You're panicking for no good reason."

"And I'm telling you that you're wrong." The brunette said, turning to face the taller woman. "Look, I may not have been at this as long as you and I may not have been the top graduate my year at the academy, but I know what I'm doing. And I know there's a connection. There is. And I'll find it."

Aubrey narrowed her eyes and exhaled slowly at the sight of her partner's intense gaze. She sighed. "Ok. We'll keep looking. But we don't go running to the Chief until we actually have something solid. Got it?"

Beca smiled and nodded. "Of course. What do you think I am, some stupid rookie?"

Aubrey rolled her eyes as Beca stalked off in the rain.

xxxx

"So, have you been back to that coffee shop lately?"

Aubrey glanced at the woman next to her, careful not to take her eyes off the road for more than a few seconds. "What coffee shop?" She asked, feigning ignorance.

Beca smirked. "Don't give me that shit. You know which coffee shop…the one with the pretty redhead."

The brunette eyed the other woman as Aubrey clenched her jaw. "I suppose she is attractive. I didn't realize you like women."

"Oh I don't…no more than I like anyone else." Beca replied. "I'm a career woman. And honestly…I didn't know you like women either."

The car veered slightly as Aubrey was taken by surprise at the other woman's words. She quickly corrected and turned a glare towards Beca. "I do not like women. I am not gay. And I'll thank you to never mention that again!"

"Oh come on, there's nothing wrong with being gay." The shorter woman said, lifting one foot to rest nonchalantly on the dash of the car. "In fact, I hear it's become kinda trendy even."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "Get your foot down!"

"Geez, lighten up Abe."

The blonde clenched the steering wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white. "I've asked you not to call me that."

Beca just rolled her eyes. "Well, have you?"

"Have I what?" Aubrey replied, barely concealing her exasperation.

"Been back to the coffee shop of course!" The brunette exclaimed. "I swear, sometimes you're pretty dense _Aubrey_."

The blonde narrowed her eyes at the other woman's exaggerated pronunciation of her full name. She chose to let it slide. "No. I haven't been back, haven't had time."

"Well that's too bad." Beca said with a smirk. "I'm sure Chloe misses you."

Aubrey once again tightened her grip on the wheel. She then reached and flicked on the car radio, something she usually strictly forbade while the vehicle was in motion. For once she welcomed the distraction.

xxxx

Beca rubbed her eyes tiredly as she pushed the cart down the aisle of the small grocery store near her apartment. She was exhausted. The latest victim in the string of dead woman was plaguing her mind. At first glance, there was no connection. The ages and physical descriptions of the victims varied. The only obvious connection was that they were all dumped in shady, cliché areas, like the most recent one near the railroad tracks.

"Railroad tracks." She mumbled to herself. "Dumped near railroad tracks."

Her senses began to buzz as the addresses of the woman popped back into her mind. "They're all within walking distance of a train station. And dumped within walking distance of train tracks. That motherfucker is on the train!"

She shoved her cart to the side as she sprinted out of the grocery store, ignoring the stares as she ran.

xxxx

Aubrey yawned tiredly and pinched the bridge of her nose. The files of the open cases were scattered on her kitchen table where she was currently sitting, her fourth cup of steaming black coffee next to her.

The sound of a solid knock to her apartment door broke her from her reverie as she stared, wondering what she was missing. She slid from her chair and approached the door slowly.

"Aubrey, it's me, open up!"

The blonde relaxed at the sound of her partner's voice. She unlocked the door and opened it, the brunette pushing her way into the apartment before Aubrey could even invite her in.

"The train tracks!" Beca exclaimed. "That's the connection. They're dumped near train tracks but all of their addresses are within walking distance of a train stop as well. This asshole is riding a train and finding his victims. All the towns in all three states are connected by the railway line. This son of a bitch is using the railway lines. If we check, I get all of the women took a train on the days they were killed."

Aubrey shook her head slightly as she shut her door behind the woman who had just barged into her apartment. Beca was already at the kitchen table leaning over the files. She pulled a map out of the bag she had slung over her shoulder and spread it out on the table as well.

"What are you doing?" Aubrey asked as she stepped closer.

"Here, look. Here, here and here…the victims' homes." The brunette said, pointing to various locations on the map. "And here, here, and here…where bodies were found. And these spots…train stations. Not metro, but old school train stations. There's our connection."

Aubrey narrowed her eyes as she studied the map, taking in the information. "It's definitely something worth looking into. And let's face it, we don't exactly have any other leads. How'd you come up with this?"

"Just came to me in the grocery store. Hey you got anything to eat?"

"I thought you just came from the grocery store?"

Beca shrugged, already wandering toward the blonde's pantry. "I ditched the cart, came right over here. We could always make a coffee shop run…"

Aubrey quirked a brow as the shorter woman smirked over her shoulder at her. "Very funny. If you need coffee you can make a pot."

"Oh so you do know how to do it yourself?"

"Yes, of course I know how to make coffee." The blonde said, rolling her eyes. "I told you, I just like to support local shop owners. Oh for God's sake, throw a frozen pizza in and come on. We've got work to do."

xxxx

Aubrey nodded to the officer as he lifted the yellow tape for her to slip under it. Another body. Another crime scene within walking distance of train tracks. Beca might actually be on to something. But there hadn't been two killings so close together before. Maybe it was a coincidence.

She clenched her jaw and once again prepared herself mentally for what she was about to witness. She hoped she never grew calloused to seeing dead bodies but she had at least reached a point where she didn't have to worry about losing her lunch at every crime scene.

This was routine, just another murder she could solve. Another wrong she could right. Routine. Until she caught a glimpse of red hair fanning out underneath the sheet covering the latest victim. And suddenly, for some inexplicable reason, the case didn't feel routine at all.

Aubrey staggered slightly. Her stomach began to churn and her head began to swim.

"If you throw up and contaminate this crime scene I will kick your ass."

Beca appeared at her side and quickly grabbed Aubrey by the arm and steered her away from the body.

"What's wrong?" Beca asked as the blonde reached a hand out against the building to steady herself. "Aubrey?"

Aubrey swallowed thickly before she released a slow breath as she tried to regain her composure. She glanced back to the body and once again winced against the bile rising in her throat. "Red hair." She mumbled, too softly for her partner to hear.

Beca narrowed her eyes at the blonde before she glanced back over her shoulder to see if she could determine what the problem was. Realization dawned on her when she too spotted the woman's hair. She quickly turned back to Aubrey. "Oh Aubrey…it's not her."

The blonde's eyes snapped up to meet Beca's. "What?"

"You're thinking it's the redhead from the coffee shop." Beca continued. "It isn't her, I promise. I got a look at the body before you got here."

Aubrey visibly relaxed then and sighed in relief, almost involuntarily.

Beca smirked. "Well, there's no denying it now. Admit it, you like her."

Aubrey stiffened and squared her shoulders. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

The brunette laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh come on Aubrey, cut the shit. You just about had a panic attack and lost your lunch because you caught a glimpse of red hair. Just fucking tell her already."

"Tell her what?" Aubrey cried. "I'm not gay."

"Oh please, anyone could be gay for her…she's gorgeous." Beca replied with a smirk.

Aubrey narrowed her eyes at the shorter woman and felt her anger rising. "I'm pretty sure that's offensive. But what do you mean anyone? You I suppose? Beca, I swear to God…"

The brunette laughed, which only made the blonde even angrier. "Relax Aubrey, I'm not going to steal your girl."

"She is not my girl!" Aubrey exclaimed. "And I am not gay!"

"Well you're definitely _something_ for her. And she is totally in to you too." Beca replied, smirking once again.

At the smaller woman's words, Aubrey nearly tripped over her own feet. "Don't be ridiculous." She said, her cheeks reddening. "She is not. Chloe is friendly with everyone. And for all I know she's probably married or dating or…straight."

"She is none of those things." Beca said. "She told me so herself. And she asked me about you, specifically your relationship status."

"When did you have time to talk to her?" Aubrey asked suspiciously. "I was right there with you the whole time."

The brunette shrugged with a sly grin. "Oh I've gone back a few times. You're right, Bellas Coffee Café is great! Chloe too. But she's pretty disappointed you haven't been back in lately. She's in to you, I'm telling you!"

Aubrey wasn't certain if she wanted to slap the ever present smirk from Beca's face or hug her. She settled for wanting to kick herself at the flutter she felt in her stomach at the thought of Chloe asking about her.

Beca quirked a brow and fought a laugh at the look on the blonde's face. She finally softened, knowing Aubrey well enough to know how alone she felt the majority of the time. "Just talk to her Aubrey. Go back and order your boring black coffee and chances are, she'll ask you out before you even have to worry about working up the nerve to."

Aubrey simply squared her shoulders again and headed back toward the crime scene without a reply.

"And by the way," Beca finally called out, "train tracks…again. I'm on to something, admit it. These bodies are connected…and you're in love with a hot redheaded barista. Just a hunch, I know these things!"

The blonde clenched her jaw but continued walking.

"Just talk to her Aubrey!" Beca called once again. "You won't regret it, I promise!"

xxxx

Aubrey checked her reflection in the rearview mirror of her car for the third time as she pulled into the parking lot of Bellas Coffee Café. The sight of the murdered redhead had unnerved her, there was no denying that. And Beca's words had given her a small amount of courage. But once she had pulled into the parking lot her courage had faded quickly.

What could Chloe possibly want with her? Aubrey was boring, just like her choice of coffee drink. She was straight laced and neurotic and a workaholic. Plus the idea that she could be a lesbian had never before entered her brain. Of course neither had the idea that she could be straight. She had simply never considered a relationship with anyone. She was textbook for commitment and trust issues thanks to the death of her mother and her strict military father.

But still, Aubrey clenched her jaw and willed herself to step out of her vehicle. She was a glutton for punishment. There was just something about Chloe that the blonde couldn't resist. The redhead was everything that was pure and kind and welcoming. Her bubbly personality was infectious.

Aubrey once again smoothed down her suit jacket as she stepped closer to the shop. She nearly groaned in disappointment at the sight of the brown haired man at the counter taking orders. She quickly scanned the shop but didn't see the redhead anywhere.

She finally did sigh in disappointment and stepped in line.

Chloe stepped out of the storage closet and her breath caught at the sight of Aubrey scanning the coffee shop. When the blonde sighed and stepped in line with a slight frown on her face, Chloe couldn't help but feel excitement bubbling in her stomach. She bit her bottom lip and smiled.

The patron in front of Aubrey placed their order and stepped to the side just as Chloe rushed in to hip check Jesse out of her way so that she could take the blonde's order.

"Hi, welcome back." Chloe said with a warm smile.

Aubrey blinked in surprise, the other woman's sudden appearance startling her. "Oh…Hello Chloe. How are you this morning?"

The redhead's smile widened and she shrugged. "Oh, can't complain. I have a job I love and work with great people and get to serve coffee to amazing people, like yourself."

Aubrey blushed and dropped her gaze.

"So, what did you think of the coffee with the touch of vanilla and peppermint? I tried to cut back on the sugar and diabetes…just for you."

The blonde laughed and nodded. "It was delicious, thank you. I was wired all day because I drank both cups but I was very productive so thank you again."

Chloe returned the laugh, her eyes sparkling. "I'm so glad you liked it. I tried to stick to your favorite, the classic black coffee, but add a touch of something to it. Just a little touch of flavor I guess. I'm really glad you liked it."

Aubrey nodded again. "Look, I'm really sorry I was such a bitch…that day you gave me the wrong coffee. I didn't mean to be such a jerk. I'm sorry."

Chloe shook her head, that same sweet smile on her face. "No, I'm sorry. I'm just glad you didn't hold it against us. I really am glad you picked this place as your coffee shop. I look forward to seeing you."

"You do?" Aubrey whispered.

"Yep." Chloe replied.

The blonde nodded and cleared her throat anxiously. "Well…I…I kind of look forward to seeing you too."

Chloe pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and dropped her gaze. "God you're really pretty." She said quietly, surprising herself that she had spoken aloud. "Wow, ok, I said that out loud. So…I would love to have dinner with you sometime. I can cook too you know, not just make coffee. I'd like to get to know you. Not just because you're really pretty! I mean, you are but that's not the only reason…wow."

Aubrey felt her breath catch. She wasn't certain she had heard the redhead correctly. In fact she felt certain that she had to be mistaken. But Chloe was smiling shyly up at her, waiting expectantly.

"Dinner." Aubrey sputtered. "I'd like that. Dinner would be nice."

Chloe bounced up onto the balls of her feet excitedly. "Yeah? That is awesome! Ok, um…tomorrow night? Or is that too soon?"

"No, no tomorrow is fine." The blonde replied.

"Great!" Chloe exclaimed, still smiling widely. "Well here is my number and address. You can just call me when you get off work. I have the early shift again tomorrow so I'll be out of here plenty early so whenever works for you is fine by me."

Aubrey took the slip of paper from Chloe's offered hand and glanced down at the numbers written in loopy scrawl. Even her handwriting was bubbly and friendly. She finally smiled back at the redhead, still somewhat surprised by what had just transpired.

"So dinner…tomorrow." The blonde continued, still with a lopsided grin on her face. "Ok, great. I'm looking forward to it."

Chloe chuckled. "Me too Agent Posen."

Aubrey's smile widened and she nodded. "Ok, well, I'll see you tomorrow then. I'll call you."

She backed away from the counter still smiling before turning on her heel to head for the door. She only made it a few steps before Chloe called out to her.

"Would you like a cup of coffee for the road?"

"Right!" Aubrey exclaimed, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "This is a coffee shop after all right? And I did come in for…coffee."

The blonde was still smiling when she slipped back into the driver seat of her car. Even when she took a sip of her coffee and nearly choked at the taste of caramel and whipped cream, she still couldn't seem to wipe the grin off her face.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N – Thanks for reading. This will be four parts. Again, I don't own anything you recognize!

Chapter Two

Aubrey exhaled a shaky breath as she stepped up to Chloe's apartment door. She glanced down at her outfit, hoping she hadn't opted for too casual. She had chosen to go with form fitting jeans and a green v-neck top. The blonde knocked softly on the door and then began to nervously fiddle with the bottle of wine in her hands. The door quickly swung open and Chloe stood smiling widely on the other side.

"Aubrey, come in!" the redhead exclaimed, ushering the taller woman in. "I'm so glad you came."

The blonde felt her breath catch at the sight of the other woman. Chloe was barefoot and wearing a blue shirt that made her bright blue eyes even more prominent. She was beautiful.

"I…uh, I brought this." Aubrey said, holding out the wine.

"Oh this is great, thanks! Dinner is in the oven, I hope you like salmon…oh God, I totally should have asked what you like to eat. I can order a pizza or something if you prefer."

Aubrey couldn't help but feel her own nerves ease slightly as Chloe suddenly seemed flustered. She smiled again. "No, no salmon is great. I hope you didn't go to too much trouble."

Chloe smiled in relief and motioned for the blonde to follow her further into the apartment. Aubrey followed and glanced around at her surroundings. The apartment was cozy and tidy. The paintings on the wall were bright and cheerful and very 'Chloe'. Aubrey already liked the homey feel to the redhead's apartment.

Dinner passed with Chloe doing most of the talking. Aubrey laughed as she told stories of her childhood. Chloe was the youngest of four and the only girl so the scrapes she got into following after her big brothers kept Aubrey chuckling. They finally retired to the living room with the bottle of wine and dropped onto the couch.

"Sorry, I've done most of the talking." Chloe said rolling her eyes. "I tend to get a little carried away talking about my family…they're great. What about you Aubrey? Tell me about your family."

Aubrey sighed and dropped her gaze into her wine glass. Chloe sensed the shift in mood and scooted closer slightly.

"Well," the blonde began, surprised at how willing she was to open up about her family, "my mother died when I was ten. I'm an only child so that left me with my father. He died a few years ago too. He was a colonel in the army and not exactly warm and fuzzy. He loved me, I know that, he just wasn't comfortable showing it. So I was sent to boarding schools and he was very strict. But honestly, I think I function better with structure and rules. I like to think that makes me a better agent."

Chloe had turned more to face Aubrey as she spoke and when the taller woman finished with a slight shrug, the redhead reached and placed a hand on her leg. "Aubrey, I'm really sorry. Every girl needs her mother…and her father too for that matter. I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject. But thanks for telling me."

Aubrey smiled and glanced back to the shorter woman. "Thanks for asking. I…I'm not very good at volunteering information, especially about myself. But I don't have anything to hide and you can ask me anything you like."

"Ooh, I'll remember that." Chloe replied with a wink, relieved when Aubrey laughed. "Have you always wanted to be in law enforcement?"

Aubrey shrugged again but was still smiling. "At my first boarding school I was made hall monitor. Turns out I was pretty good at catching people breaking the rules. Didn't make me very popular with the other kids but I was good at it. And now, I love it. I love feeling like I'm doing something to find justice for victims and their families. It's tough, long hours, and crime scenes are never easy, but I love it."

"Aren't you ever scared? Do you like, arrest people and bust into bad guys homes and all that?"

The blonde found herself turned more towards Chloe so they were facing each other. "Sure, I get scared. But I don't ever go in by myself. Beca, my partner, she drives me crazy but I know she's looking out for me. Just like I'm looking out for her. We're a pretty tight group. It's kind of like the family I never really had."

Chloe once again smiled sympathetically and reached to drop a hand to the blonde's knee. Before she could speak again, Aubrey smiled. "And what about you? Have you always wanted to be a barista? How did you end up at Bellas?"

The redhead looked confused for a moment before she chuckled. "A barista? Oh I'm not just a barista. I own Bellas, it's my shop."

"What?" Aubrey exclaimed. "No way! I just assumed some lady named Bella owned it and for some unknown reason left out the apostrophe. That's impressive! I had no idea. You're always there though so I suppose it makes sense."

"Yep," Chloe replied with a smile. "It's my place so I figure I should be there to make sure things are going ok. Jesse is great, I couldn't ask for a better manager, or friend, but at the end of the day, it's my name and my place and I can't expect someone else to do all the work. And Bellas, well I got the name from a group I sang with in college. The Barden Bellas."

"You sing too?" Aubrey asked. "A singing business owner. You're quite impressive Chloe Beale."

The redhead smiled and shrugged. "Well I'm not saving lives and risking my own on a daily basis but…I'm happy. I like my life."

"Good." Aubrey said quietly. "You're kind and sweet and funny. You deserve to be happy. Even if you can't seem to get my coffee order right."

Chloe barked out a laugh and leaned in closer to the blonde as if to emphasize her point. "I am trying to broaden your horizons and give you an appreciation of the finer things in life!"

"Like sugar rushes and diabetes?"

"Like flavor and the flair of coffee creations!"

Aubrey found herself laughing and leaning closer to the redhead as well. As their laughter faded, the pair found themselves mere inches apart. Aubrey swallowed thickly as she lost herself in the deep blue of Chloe's eyes. The redhead smiled shyly and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.

"So…I have to ask you something." Chloe said softly. "Are you really an FBI agent or is that just a story you tell women so that you can conveniently disappear once you get bored."

"You-you're worried about me getting bored?" Aubrey stuttered incredulously. "I'm the boring one. I go to work and then I go the gym and then I go home. Some days, I get coffee. And some days I really mix things up and I go for a run instead of the gym before I go to work. So I don't think you have to worry about me getting bored and disappearing."

Chloe pursed her lips. "You didn't answer my question. Are you really an agent?"

Aubrey chuckled as the redhead fought to keep a grin from her face. "I give you my word that, I, Aubrey Posen, am an agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigations."

"Prove it."

The blonde laughed again and nodded. She pushed herself up from the couch and quickly retrieved her bag. She pulled her badge out and handed it to Chloe as she dropped back onto the couch next to her.

Chloe smiled as she eyed the badge and accompanying ID. "Ok…well this seems legit. So I guess I can trust you."

"Oh I'm very trustworthy." Aubrey replied with a grin. "They don't just give a badge to anyone ya know."

Chloe laughed and nodded as she handed the badge and ID back to the blonde. "Fair enough."

Aubrey sighed when she glanced at the clock on the mantle. "I…don't really want to but I need to get going. We have an early meeting in the morning about an ongoing case...So I should head out."

"Ok." Chloe replied softly as the two rose from the couch. "I had a great time Aubrey, I'm really glad you came over."

"Me too." The blonde said with a shy smile. "I'd like to see you again…but only if you want to that is."

The redhead smiled sweetly when Aubrey grew flustered. She reached for the blonde's hand and stepped closer to her. "I'd like that. I like _you_ Aubrey, I have since you first came into my shop."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah." Chloe whispered. "In fact…I messed up your coffee order on purpose…hoping you'd come back up to the counter to talk to me."

Aubrey's jaw dropped in surprise as Chloe grinned sheepishly. "You…really?"

Chloe nodded.

Aubrey squeezed Chloe's hand and before her mind had time to catch up to her heart, she stepped closer and pressed her lips to the redhead's in a tender kiss. With her free hand, Aubrey reached to cup Chloe's cheek when they broke apart, their foreheads still pressed together.

Chloe smiled widely and covered Aubrey's hand that was still cupping her cheek. "Best first date ever."

Aubrey chuckled and nodded. "Definitely."

The redhead tilted her head and once again brought their lips together before dropping her head to the taller woman's shoulder. Aubrey pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm really glad you gave me that cup of sugar and diabetes."

Chloe laughed as she squeezed the woman in her arms.

xxxx

Aubrey fought a yawn as she settled into her desk chair. As much as she had wanted to stop for coffee that morning to see Chloe again, the meeting about the murders was important and she couldn't be late. She and Beca had been put in charge of coming up with a sting mission of sorts. They were to scope out the train situation and see if anything broke in the case.

It was a big deal for the pair, especially Beca as this would be her first lead of any kind. Aubrey glanced over her shoulder to gage her partner's mood since hearing the news when her eye caught something out of place on her own desk. She quirked a brow at the sight of a manila envelope. It was addressed to her but had no return address.

She opened the envelope and pulled out a simple post card. _I haven't forgotten_.

Aubrey narrowed her gaze at the note and flipped it over for some further clue as to what the message meant. Seeing nothing, she shrugged and simply dropped it into a drawer and reached for the file still open and waiting to be solved.

xxxx

"Hey you." Chloe said warmly as Aubrey joined her on the park bench.

The blonde smiled as she passed one of the two hotdogs in her hands to the redhead. "Hi."

The pair had been dating for a few weeks and each was excited for every opportunity they had to see each other. They were keeping the relationship fairly casual but every time they met, Aubrey found herself opening up just a bit more to Chloe.

"Oh my god, you're the best." Chloe said, taking a bite of her lunch.

Aubrey chuckled at the sight. "You're easy to please. Good to know."

Chloe shrugged and took another bite. "I know people say they're gross but I love hotdogs. My brother bought me a hotdog toaster once, it was the best thing ever."

"A hotdog toaster?" Aubrey asked laughing. "That's a real thing?"

"Damn right it is!" Chloe exclaimed. "So good!"

Aubrey draped her arm around the redhead's shoulders, just because she felt like she could and just because she wanted to. Chloe hummed in contentment and scooted in closer.

"Did you see the news this morning?" Chloe asked.

"Um, yeah. Yeah I had it on while I was getting ready this morning." Aubrey replied, unsure where the sudden topic shift was headed. The shorter woman suddenly seemed deep in thought.

Chloe nodded finally, chewing another bite of her hotdog. "There was a story on there, about a police officer shooting a guy after he pulled a gun on him during a traffic stop."

"Oh." Aubrey said softly. "I must have missed that one."

"I know he probably didn't have a choice…I mean the other guy drew a gun on him. His dashboard camera caught the whole thing on tape. But I'm sure he still hated to have to do it. Shoot that guy I mean."

"Yeah, I'm sure he did."

Chloe finished off her hotdog and gazed out over the park. A young couple was sitting on a blanket sharing a picnic while kids laughed and ran. Another woman was playing fetch with her dog. "Have you ever had to? Shoot someone I mean."

Aubrey sighed and removed her arm from around Chloe's shoulders. The day was warm but she suddenly felt a chill. "Once." She replied.

Chloe turned to look at her in surprise. She reached and took the blonde's hand in her own.

"It wasn't long after I became an agent." Aubrey continued. "We were taking a guy in and he pulled a gun. He shot and killed one of the agents and I just happened to be the one to get the first shot off. It was crazy, we weren't taking him in for a violent offense or anything. We didn't expect him to pull a gun. But he did. I killed him. I wish that I hadn't had to but…His name was Myles. Myles Jones."

"I'm glad you did." Chloe insisted. "Because you're here with me now and I'm glad you are."

Aubrey turned and met the redhead's gaze as the shorter woman scooted closer to her. Chloe smiled at her before she dropped her head to the blonde's shoulder.

"Me too." Aubrey whispered as she pressed a kiss to Chloe's head.

xxxx

Aubrey clenched her jaw as she helped secure the wiring around the small woman's chest. "Are you sure this is how you want to do this?"

Beca smiled, nervously the blonde thought. "Yep, I'm totally ready for this."

They had continued working on the train theory for the last few weeks and finally thought they had a possible lead. They had gotten passenger registries and been able to cross check the victims' trains and come up with a match. A salesman.

They pulled the man's record and it was clean. Nothing more than parking and speeding tickets. As well as a wife and two kids.

And so, they decided to plant bait on the train to see if they could draw him out. Much to Aubrey's dismay, Beca had volunteered to be the bait. The blonde hated the idea, Beca was too new. Sure she was a good enough agent but she wasn't experienced enough. And something could go wrong, she could be hurt. But Aubrey kept telling herself she wasn't concerned with that, just the case being botched.

"Relax Abe, I'll be fine."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "How many times to I have to tell you not to call me that?" She muttered. "Ok, well, here we go."

"Here we go." Beca replied, staring back at the taller woman. She buttoned her shirt to finish concealing the small microphone.

"There's nothing to worry about." Aubrey continued. "We'll have people in position at every stop ready to jump on the train and we'll have one in the car behind you. And we'll be listening the whole time so if anything even sounds off we'll be right there to back you up."

Beca chuckled. "I know Aubrey, I got it. I helped come up with this plan remember? Relax, it'll be fine."

The blonde nodded finally and the rejoined the team. Beca drove alone to the train station and purchased her ticket for the 4:45p.m. train. Three of the victims had been a train at the same time and according to their search on Mr. Salesman, he took this same train at least three times a week.

Beca squared her shoulders as she boarded.

"Talk to me, what do you see? Are you alright?"

The brunette rolled her eyes as Aubrey's voice same through in the ear piece hidden in her ear. "Didn't I tell you to relax Abe? I'm fine. And I'm just getting on so I haven't seen a fucking thing yet. Now leave me alone and don't blow my cover."

Beca wandered through the train cars, seemingly looking for the perfect seat. She wandered until she saw him.

"He's here." She muttered under her breath as she dropped into a seat, never losing a visual on her target.

"Ok, keep me posted." Aubrey responded.

The train rolled through two stops and the man never moved. Until an attractive woman walked up the aisle past him. A few seconds after she passed, the man too rose to his feet and made his way up the aisle behind her.

"Shit, he's on the move." Beca whispered, quickly following him.

She followed him all the way to the train car with the restroom. She sighed in frustration as he slipped into the men's restroom. The woman continued on her way toward the dining car without a care in the world.

Beca deflated slightly. "False alarm I think, he's just taking a piss."

She turned on her heel, looking for a nearby seat to keep an eye on him when he came out and just happened to catch the eye of one of the other passengers. His gaze sent a chill down Beca's spine. The look on his face indicated he knew exactly what she was doing there and who she was. And her gut told her that she knew exactly who he was as well. He quickly stood to his feet and took off at a sprint in the opposite direction.

"We're after the wrong guy!" Beca exclaimed, quickly setting off after the man. "He's here, he's running!"

"Beca?" Aubrey cried on the other end of the wire. "Beca what are you talking about? What's happening?"

"He was using the salesman! Requesting backup, we just left the Union City station." Beca replied, still chasing the man down the narrow corridors. The train turned slightly and the brunette briefly lost sight of the man. When the tracks straightened back out, he was still nowhere to be seen.

"Shit!" She exclaimed.

She drew her pistol when she realized she had entered an empty car meant for oversized luggage. There were plenty of places he could be hiding. Beca slowed her pace, careful to check behind each oversized box and bag.

She turned just in time to catch a glimpse of the man lunging for her.

xxxx

"Stop that fucking train!" Aubrey screamed at the railway station master.

She and the rest of her team had rushed to the stop after Union City. When they flashed their badges the man put up little argument.

"Beca?" Aubrey yelled.

She hadn't received a reply from her partner but could make out what sounded like a struggle through the wire Beca was wearing. Before the train had even come to a complete stop, Aubrey and her team rushed onto the train, guns drawn. The team split, quickly scouring each car.

When Aubrey rushed into the luggage car, she stopped abruptly. A man was face down with Beca handcuffing his hands. She had a knee firmly between his shoulder blades and when the man tried to roll or buck her off she applied more pressure.

"That is for the fucking black eye you gave me you asshole!" Beca hissed as she once again burrowed her kneecap deeper into the man's back.

Aubrey breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of her partner, relatively safe and sound. Suddenly, Bumper Allen, the agent stationed on the train with Beca as backup came rushing into the car, coffee stains on his shirt.

"And just where the hell have you been?" Aubrey hissed. "She could have been killed!"

The agents took the man into custody and Beca stepped closer to the blonde with a smirk on her face. "Aw Aubrey, you were worried…I'm touched Abe."

Aubrey rolled her eyes and holstered her weapon. Between Bumper and Beca, she wasn't certain she could control her actions if she didn't put the weapon away.

xxxx

"Oh my God, I would have been so freaked out!" Chloe exclaimed.

Beca shrugged and reached for her beer. "All part of the job Chlo, all part of the job."

Aubrey rolled her eyes at her partner's bravado. She smiled though when Chloe burrowed closer into her side and placed a hand on her thigh.

"Seriously, I don't know how you guys do it!" The redhead continued.

The killer, and he did in fact turn out to be the killer, had been taken into custody and fairly promptly confessed to all of the killings. He provided details that only the killer and the Bureau could know. They were simply awaiting the DNA results to be certain he was indeed a match to DNA left on the victims.

"So really, you weren't scared at all?" Jesse asked. When Beca had invited Chloe out to celebrate, and see the new couple with her own eyes, the redhead had insisted her friend come along.

Beca smirked. "Nah, no time for that. I had to get my guy. I suppose I might have had a small brief moment of panic when he almost clobbered me in that baggage car but…I managed."

"Badass." Jesse said, looking thoroughly impressed.

"Thank you sir." The brunette replied, raising her drink to clink against his own glass.

Aubrey smiled as Chloe turned slightly to glance up into the blonde's face. "You are careful aren't you?" Chloe asked quietly.

Her stomach flipped pleasantly as she gazed down into Chloe's brightly blue eyes. She nodded before dropping a kiss to the shorter woman's forehead. "I promise." She replied, just as quietly.

When Aubrey turned her gaze back to the others at the table, she found Beca smiling back at her. The blonde cleared her throat and reached for her own glass and raised it. She was feeling generous. And happy.

"Really Beca, you did a great job today. You caught the bad guy pretty much all on your own."

The brunette looked surprised at the recognition. Her smile widened and she too raised her glass toward the blonde's. "Well, you did come up with a pretty kick ass plan."

"That Bumper obviously ignored. How in the hell did he even getting into the FBI?"

The friends laughed and continued to drink until late in the evening. Chloe finally yawned widely.

"Sorry." She mumbled with a chuckle. "Early shift at the shop this morning."

"Yeah, man am I glad I don't have to open tomorrow." Jesse said with a wink.

Chloe groaned and glared at the man in mock anger. "Yeah, this has been great but I'd better get going. I've got to be up in a few hours."

"I'll walk out with you." Aubrey said, lightly rubbing Chloe's back. "The Chief gave us a few days off but I'll get going too."

Chloe nodded and smiled. The two slipped from the table, Beca and Jesse electing to stay behind for another drink. The pair walked outside, hand in hand, to their cars.

They stopped at Chloe's first and before the blonde could say goodnight, she pulled Aubrey in and crashed their lips together. The kiss was hungry and needy and Aubrey moaned into it. She found herself backed up against the redhead's car with Chloe's body pressed against hers snuggly.

When they finally broke apart, both were panting slightly. "That was…wow." Aubrey said, slightly dazed.

Chloe didn't respond other than to throw her arms around Aubrey and hold her tightly. The blonde wrapped her own arms around Chloe as the shorter woman seemed reluctant to let go. It was only when she noticed the redhead's shoulders trembling slightly that she realized Chloe was crying.

"Hey, what's-what's going on? What's wrong?"

Chloe sniffled and finally reluctantly loosened her grip on the taller woman. She hiccupped and Aubrey couldn't help but smile affectionately.

"Come on Chloe, what's wrong? Are you ok?"

The redhead swiped at her tears and dropped her gaze in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I'm a mess. But hearing about today, that whole killer on a train thing and knowing you do that every day…just freaked me out a little. I really like you and I don't want you to get hurt."

Aubrey felt her heart flutter at Chloe's words. "I really like you too Chloe. And you don't have to worry, most of my days are nothing like today! Honest! Most days I sit behind my desk and just try to piece together bits of info and evidence. I promise I'm safe and careful. Promise."

Chloe gazed up into Aubrey's green eyes and finally nodded, but not before hiccupping again. "I think I might be drunk. But that isn't why I said I really like you or that I'm worried about you getting hurt. I mean that, sober too. How are you not drunk?"

Aubrey laughed and brushed a kiss against Chloe's temple. "I know better than to try to keep up with Beca drinking. I only had two. What do you say I take you home? You're in no shape to drive Miss Beale…I could arrest you ya know. And then I'll swing back by for Beca and make her help me get your car back to your place so you have it in the morning."

"You'd do that for me?" Chloe replied, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. "Not the part about arresting me…that would either suck or be totally hot."

Aubrey laughed and nodded. She felt her cheeks flush at what she could only imagine Chloe was insinuating. So far their relationship had progressed to fairly heavy make out sessions but they hadn't actually made it to sex yet. Both agreed to take things slowly but drunk Chloe was putting a lot of ideas into Aubrey's head.

She pulled Chloe to her side and steered her back toward her own car. "Alright you, let's get you home."

Chloe simply burrowed deeper into Aubrey's embrace in response.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Thanks for reading, I really appreciate the reviews, alerts, and favorites! I don't own much of anything. Here is part 3 of 4.

Chapter Three

Three days later Aubrey and Beca were back at work. It was a Friday and both were looking forward to a quiet day before the weekend. Aubrey arrived before her partner, as usual. When she sat down, she saw yet another envelope with her name on it. She narrowed her gaze as she pulled out a lone card.

 _Congratulations. But I'm still here._

The blonde clenched her jaw against a sudden chill. She stood to her feet and glanced around the room. Nothing seemed out of place and no one seemed to be paying her any attention. She would have to have a chat with the mail delivery kid.

Aubrey had just stuffed the note and envelope into one of her drawers when Beca came strolling in. She immediately noticed the tense look on her partner's face. "What's up?"

Aubrey glanced up and quickly shook her head. "Nothing. How was your time off?"

Beca quirked a brow at the abrupt topic change but didn't press it. "Great. We should catch serial killers more often. I could get used to this treatment!"

Aubrey had to chuckle. "Well, I'm sure another serial killer will pop up any day now."

"How about you?" Beca asked, perched on the corner of the blonde's desk. "Did Chloe properly congratulate you after you guys left together?"

Aubrey turned a puzzled gaze to her partner. "Properly congratulate? Well…I guess so. She seemed pretty excited about it."

Beca blinked back at the taller woman before clearing her throat with a wry grin. "I meant sex Aubrey. Did you two do the nasty when you left the bar, that is what I was asking."

"What?" Aubrey exclaimed, her cheeks blushing at the realization. "Um, Chloe was drunk. That would have been taking advantage, what do you think I am?"

"Ah, I didn't realize. I was a little wasted myself so I didn't really notice she was drunk. Good thing Jesse was able to help you get her car back to her. How is the sex by the way? Do you actually know what you're doing, have you been with a woman before her?"

The blonde quickly began sorting through papers on her desk as if they were the most important thing in the world. Beca narrowed her eyes at her as she obviously ignored the question.

"You have slept together haven't you?"

"How is that any of your business?" Aubrey snapped, finally glaring at the shorter woman.

Beca ignored her tone and chuckled. "Jesus Christ Aubrey, you two have been together for like months now. How have you not had sex yet?"

"Again, how is this any of your business?" Aubrey hissed again. "This is not the appropriate place to be talking about this anyway. We're at work!"

"Yeah, so?" Beca replied with a smirk. "No one's paying any attention to us. Seriously, you haven't? Is it because you're really not gay? Are you not attracted to her?"

Aubrey sighed, realizing there would be no getting the brunette to drop the subject. "Not that it's any of your business but…no we haven't. Not yet. But Chloe…she asked me to stay over. Tonight. So I assume she wants to…you know. And yes…I'm very attracted to her."

"Um, she's been waiting for months so I'm willing to bet you assume correctly. You're attracted to her but you haven't jumped her yet. What's the matter, you need some pointers or something? Because I'm pretty sure the layout is the same so just-"

"Oh shut up!" Aubrey moaned, dropping her head into her hands.

Beca laughed loudly and hopped up from the desk. "Oh man, I can't wait to hear how this goes."

xxxx

Chloe hummed as she kissed a slow trail down Aubrey's neck. She wrapped an arm around the slender woman and pulled her tighter against her own body. As she squeezed the woman below her, she couldn't help but notice how tense and quiet Aubrey was. She had been quiet all evening.

The redhead grazed her fingers down Aubrey's naked torso and felt the taller woman shiver against her.

"Aubrey," Chloe said softly as she lifted her head to try to find the other woman's gaze in the dark bedroom, "babe, are you ok? You seem a little…tense."

The blonde swallowed thickly but smiled timidly. "Oh yeah…no I'm great. Really, keep going."

Chloe eyed her for a moment more before Aubrey gave her a shaky smile and nodded for her to continue. The redhead smiled and reattached her lips to Aubrey's neck. The blonde released a shaky breath and Chloe once again noticed how stiffly the other woman was lying underneath her.

At seeing the blanket bunched in the blonde's fist tightly, Chloe chuckled and propped herself up on her elbow without breaking her tight hold on Aubrey. "Are you sure you're ok? It's alright if you're not ready. Rumor has it this is supposed to fun ya know."

Aubrey sighed but relaxed slightly at the redhead's cheeky grin. "So I've heard. I'm sorry Chloe…I'm just…a little nervous."

"That's ok." Chloe replied quickly. "You think I'm not a little nervous too? It's scary being vulnerable and I mean…we're naked and you're gorgeous so…This is a lot of pressure. But being nervous the first time is all part of the fun. Learning each other's bodies, where you want to be touched, how fast or slow you want…It's kind of like an exploration…an adventure."

Aubrey smiled tenderly at the shorter woman's words. "You're the sweetest person I've ever met. And you're right, I know. It's just a little _extra_ pressure for me because…well I've never done this before-with a woman I mean."

"Oh I see." Chloe said softly with a tender smile. "Well, Agent Posen, we have all the time in the world. And we're not doing anything until you're ready. So, what do you say we practice our spooning technique tonight? Will you still stay here with me tonight?"

Aubrey stared up into Chloe's eyes as she continued to smile down at her. The blonde felt tears pricking her eyes for some reason but nodded. "You're…I really like you."

Chloe chuckled. "I really like you too Aubrey. Really. So you'll stay?"

Aubrey nodded. Chloe smiled again and leaned back down and pressed a gentle kiss to the blonde's lips before she scooted further down and snuggled close into the taller woman's side. Aubrey wrapped her arms around the redhead and squeezed. Both sighed contentedly.

xxxx

Aubrey stretched as her eyes blinked open. She immediately registered that she wasn't in her bedroom. It was then that the previous night's events came flooding back. The blonde quickly glanced next to her where Chloe was still sleeping soundly.

Even with the embarrassment from the night before in the back of her mind, Aubrey couldn't help but smile at the sight of the other woman. Chloe was on her back, limbs stretching in all directions. She had one palm resting on Aubrey's hip as if holding her in place. Aubrey swallowed thickly as she scanned her eyes down the redhead's body. The sheet was tangled around her waist and legs, leaving her chest exposed.

The blonde glanced away, embarrassed at the wetness she suddenly felt between her legs as she stared at the other woman. She swallowed a moan and tried to force herself to close her eyes and go back to sleep. Instead, Aubrey's eyes snapped open again and she let her gaze settle on Chloe once again.

The sun was just beginning to peak through the blinds and in the early morning light Aubrey found herself unable to look away. She smiled at the freckles she could just make out dotting across the bridge of Chloe's nose and on her shoulders.

The blonde's stomach flipped pleasantly. Aubrey pulled the sheet up to cover Chloe's chest before she carefully slid out of the bed and quickly padded to the bathroom. She smiled at the sight of the toothbrush Chloe had left out for her and quickly put it to use. When she was certain she had gotten rid of her morning breath, she quietly slipped back into the bedroom and back to the bed. She carefully tucked herself back next to the redhead. Chloe mumbled in her sleep and once again placed a hand on the other woman's hip.

Aubrey scooted closer and gently draped an arm across the sleeping woman's body. She smiled again as she settled back onto the pillow, content to nap until the other woman woke.

She didn't have to wait too long until she felt fingers lightly grazing her arm that was still draped over Chloe's hips. The redhead sighed and stretched as she finally roused. "Good morning."

Aubrey squeezed the woman in her arms and pressed a kiss to her temple. "Good morning."

Chloe smiled sleepily and turned to burrow further into the blonde's arms. "Did you sleep ok?"

Aubrey squeezed again and nodded. "I did…Chloe…I'm sorry about last night. If I ruined things…"

The redhead inched back slightly, suddenly more awake. "What? Aubrey…no. You didn't. I love spending time with you. And I meant what I said…we have all the time in the world and we're not doing anything until you're ready. Ok?"

"Ok." Aubrey replied softly. "Well…I think I'm ready."

Chloe blinked in surprise as she stared back into the blonde's steady gaze. She felt herself growing warm under the intense look. "A-are you sure? I mean…there's no rush…"

Aubrey smiled and scooted closer. She timidly reached and cupped the redhead's cheek before once again moving closer and brushing their lips together. Chloe moaned slightly and pulled her closer when Aubrey pressed their lips together again. Aubrey rolled slightly so that her long frame was draped over the redhead's.

"Wait," Chloe said with a smirk, "did you already brush your teeth? Wake up with a little morning wood did we?"

Aubrey blushed at the shorter woman's devious grin. Chloe smirked before once again pulling the blonde closer. "I like a woman with a plan." She murmured moments before their lips met once again.

Aubrey hummed in contentment as Chloe allowed her to deepen the kiss. It was only after a few more moments of kissing that Aubrey's nerves once again surfaced and she clumsily cupped one of Chloe's breasts in her palm.

The redhead smiled when Aubrey once again dropped her head, embarrassed. The shorter woman turned them so they were once again lying side by side but she made certain their bodies were still pressed flush together. She slipped her thigh between Aubrey's legs and had to bite her lip at the wetness she felt.

Chloe tightened her arms around the blonde and smiled tenderly. "Just follow my lead, yeah? Trust me…you'll know what to do."

Aubrey chuckled but her laugh quickly turned to a breathy moan as Chloe trailed a hand down her torso and then dipped between her legs.

xxxx

"Oh my God." Chloe panted midmorning. "You sure you're not a gold star lesbian? Because you are a pro."

Aubrey laughed as she scooted back up her lover's body. "I had a good teacher. And by the way…I'm pretty sure I'm gay for you."

Chloe chuckled and gazed back up at the woman hovering over her. She brushed a stray strand of blonde hair from Aubrey's forehead. "Well that's good news to me. God, you're beautiful."

Aubrey blushed but smiled sweetly. She leaned down and once again pressed their lips together. Before the kiss could progress yet again, Chloe's stomach rumbled loudly, causing both women to giggle.

"I think we'd better get some food into you woman." Aubrey said with one final squeeze. "I need you to keep your strength up…we're both off work all weekend."

Chloe felt her stomach flutter at what the taller woman was insinuating. She once again smiled widely. "I'd better make us pancakes then, carbo load."

xxxx

"Hey stud!" Beca said with a sly grin as Aubrey came sauntering in to work later than usual. "How'd it go Friday night…or does you dragging your ass in here late on a Monday morning tell me all I need to know? Did you have a marathon weekend of fucking?"

Aubrey raised her chin slightly and tried to ignore the brunette even though the shorter woman was once again perched on the edge of her desk and showed no signs of moving.

"Aww, your ears are turning red." Beca continued. "You just try to act all high and mighty all you want. I know you Aubrey Posen and you got laid… _finally_."

The blonde did indeed feel herself beginning to flush in embarrassment as other agents began to take notice of their conversation. "Keep your voice down!" she hissed. "Why do you always insist on talking about this here? Be quiet!"

Beca barked out a laugh and shook her head. "Nope, not until you dish. So, how'd it go? This was your first time together. And more importantly, your first time with a woman, so how did it go?"

"You're a little too interested in my sex life for my comfort."

"Oh not so much yours," Beca replied with a smirk, "mostly Chloe's. She has been waiting for this for a long time so I just want to make sure you were able to figure out where things are and that she doesn't need someone to head over and help finish her off."

Aubrey clenched her jaw and shot to her feet, glaring at the petite woman. "I'll have you know, I'm pretty familiar with 'where things are' and if the scratch marks on my back are any indication, Chloe is plenty satisfied."

Beca's eyes widened and she fought to keep the grin from her face. "Way to go tiger. And you? You didn't let your nerves get to you and throw up all over her did you? You actually let her touch that icy exterior of yours?"

The blonde clenched her fists and exhaled a shaky breath. She cast one final glare at the brunette before dropping back into her desk chair in stony silence.

Beca eyed her momentarily. "Oh come on Aubrey…I'm just teasing. You know I'm happy for you."

At Aubrey's continued silence, Beca felt a pang of guilt. "Aubrey? Jesus, ok, I'm sorry. That was a low blow. I know you really like Chloe and I'm glad you had a good time together. Come on…Aubrey, talk to me! I'm sorry!"

The blonde smirked and finally glanced up at the floundering woman. "You're not nearly the badass you pretend to be. Look at you, all worried about my feelings. I'm touched."

Beca narrowed her eyes realizing Aubrey had played her. "Bitch."

The blonde laughed as the brunette slid from the desk and sauntered over to her own.

xxxx

"Hey there Beca!"

The brunette glanced up from the file she was scouring and smiled at the sight of Chloe walking toward her, a Bellas Coffee Café bag in hand.

"Well look who it is," Beca replied with a smile, "the hottest ginger to ever hail from Barden University! And she makes a fucking awesome cup of caramel coffee deliciousness."

Chloe chuckled as she began unloading her sack. Beca's stomach growled involuntarily as the redhead spread out pastries and other goodies from her shop on the brunette's desk.

"One salted caramel vanilla latte with a touch of almond and topped with whipped cream, just for you."

"Leave Abe. She'll never love you the way I do!" Beca exclaimed, taking the coffee drink from Chloe's hand.

The redhead laughed at Beca's exaggerated moan as she took the first sip of her coffee. "Why do you call her that, Abe? You know she hates it right?"

"Of course I know." The brunette replied. "You have to admit that your boo can be a little uptight sometimes. So I consider it my duty to get under her skin just enough that she occasionally has a minor snap but avoids a major psychotic break, thus endangering mankind as we know it."

"You're a true civic saint." Chloe said with a chuckle. "But I still don't understand why you call her Abe."

Beca shrugged as she bit into one of the pastries. "Well, when I first started here, all I heard was Aubrey Posen this and Aubrey Posen that. 'You'll learn a lot from her, she's the most able agent in the Bureau'. That's all I heard, how 'able' Aubrey was. So Able Aubrey kind of stuck and then I shortened it to Abe. Don't let her fool you, she loves it."

Chloe laughed again. "I really don't think she does. You're so good for her. Where is she anyway, my boo?"

"Oh she had a meeting with the Deputy Chief about something…new case maybe. I don't know, I just work here. She-hey, there she is! Hey Abe, how'd it go?"

Chloe turned and smiled widely at the sight of Aubrey approaching, her suit crisp and pressed. The blonde glared at her partner before turning a smile to her girlfriend. "Hey babe, what brings you here?"

The redhead scooted slightly where she was perched on the brunette's desk to make room for Aubrey. The blonde dropped onto the desk next to her and pulled her closer to press a kiss to her temple.

"Just thought I'd drop off some goodies on my way home." Chloe replied, leaning into Aubrey's embrace. "Don't worry, I remembered your plain black coffee."

"My girlfriend is the best." Aubrey said, reaching for the coffee.

"Well, I'll get out of your way." Chloe said, hopping up from her spot after a few more minutes of small talk. "I know you all have work to do. Plus I need to get out of here before the gray haired lady at the security desk comes back from her break. I'm pretty sure she got to second base when I came in. She seemed very concerned that I might have some contraband hidden on my person."

"Gladys?" Aubrey asked, immediately bristling. "I'll have a word with her."

Beca snorted out a laugh at the blonde's indignant look. "Jealous Abe? Gladys is making a play for your woman!"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?" Aubrey sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Chloe winked at Beca before once again stepping closer to the blonde and lightly scratching the back of her girlfriend's neck. Aubrey instantly seemed to calm at her touch.

"Ok ladies, I'm off." Chloe said, once again winking at Beca as she pressed a quick kiss to Aubrey's cheek. "Beca, keep up the great work…you know what I mean. And you babe, I'll see you later."

Beca saluted with a smirk, fighting a laugh when Aubrey cast a curious glance her way. But the brunette was quickly forgotten as Chloe leaned in to properly kiss her girlfriend goodbye.

xxxx

"So I got you something."

Aubrey glanced up at Chloe where she was standing next to the couch. She appeared to be hiding something behind her back and had an adorable grin on her face. The blonde felt a warm feeling spreading at the sight of the other woman. That feeling was becoming a common occurrence.

Aubrey grinned widely as Chloe moved to sit next to her on the couch and placed a box in her lap. The blonde chuckled as the shorter woman seemed to be bouncing in excitement. Aubrey opened the box and was surprised to see a small revolver.

"You got me a pistol?" Aubrey asked with a small chuckle. "Chloe, the Bureau gives me a gun…"

"Oh I know." Chloe replied, still grinning. "But a super-agent needs to be armed and ready. And see, it's cute and small so you could hide it somewhere. That way, if a bad guy ever gets your other gun away from you, you'll still have this one. Plus revolvers are super dependable and not likely to jam or malfunction…according to the gun guy. So I want you to promise me you'll carry it."

"Chlo, this is great!" the blonde said, scooting closer to the other woman and pressing their lips together. "I love it, thank you. And I promise, I'll keep it on me. I can even get one of those holsters made for inside your waistband and I almost always wear a suit jacket to hide it so this is perfect. It'll be great."

Chloe nodded excitedly at the idea. She too scooted closer to the blonde and watched as Aubrey pulled the small pistol from the box and examined it closer.

"So where did you get this?" Aubrey asked finally. "Please tell me you didn't get it at a pawn shop, it's probably stolen if you did."

Chloe quickly shook her head. "Oh no way. It was totally legit. This guy in Southside was selling guns out of the trunk of his car. I got it there."

Aubrey's jaw dropped and she snapped her eyes back to where Chloe was trying to keep a straight face. Aubrey relaxed and rolled her eyes when the redhead finally laughed.

"Oh man, you should have seen your face!" Chloe exclaimed. "I promise, it is licensed and registered and everything. I got it from a real gun shop outside of town. So, you really like it?"

"Yes!" Aubrey exclaimed, still smiling widely. "I love it. I love _you_!"

As soon as she uttered the words they both froze. Aubrey felt an uncomfortable churning in her stomach as Chloe blinked her bright blue eyes back at her. They sat staring at each other, wide eyed, before Chloe finally cleared her throat and Aubrey dropped her gaze. The blonde was certain she wanted to sink right through the floor and disappear.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Chloe asked softly. "I don't think I heard you."

There was no taking it back. It was out in the open. The image of her father flashed in her mind and Aubrey steeled her nerves. Posens were no cowards. If she was about to be rejected, she would do it with dignity. And then she would retreat home to drown her sorrows in the expensive bourbon she kept for emergencies.

"Um I said…I said that 'I love you.'"

Chloe felt a smile pulling at her lips but Aubrey still refused to meet her gaze. "I still didn't quite catch that…say it one more time, just…you know, maybe a little louder this time."

Aubrey finally noticed the tone of Chloe's voice and she finally glanced up to see the redhead's eyes shining back at her with a wide grin on her face. She sighed, her own smile finally beginning to spread. "I said…I love you."

Chloe reached for Aubrey's hand. She grew serious as she gazed back into the taller woman's eyes. "That's what I thought you said. And I'm glad I heard you right because…I love you too."

Chloe shrugged and bashfully dropped her gaze, still holding tightly to Aubrey's hand. Aubrey had never seen anything so beautiful. "Yeah?" she whispered.

The redhead glanced back up at the smiling woman and nodded. "Yeah. I love you too Agent Posen."

Aubrey reached and cupped Chloe's cheek with one hand before she leaned closer and pressed their lips together again. The kiss grew heated and Chloe eased herself backwards onto the couch, pulling the blonde with her. Aubrey smiled again as she settled herself on top of the redhead and reached to unsnap the button of her jeans.

xxxx

"Hey there, you ok?"

The man glanced up from the cup of coffee he was staring into and met Chloe's concerned gaze. He seemed surprised at the woman's approach but cleared his throat and forced a smile to his face. "Oh yeah, sure. I'm ok. Just a rough day I guess."

Chloe smiled sympathetically and dropped into the chair across from the man. "Well, I'd be happy to listen if you think talking about it would help."

The man looked unsure but the redhead's kind eyes and warm smile broke him down. "Well…it's the anniversary of my boyfriend's death coming up. It'll be five years in a few days and I thought I was handling it ok but…I still really miss him…and I'm kind of a mess."

Chloe reached for the man's hand and gave it a squeeze. "That's really terrible and I'm so sorry. I can't imagine…If I lost my girlfriend I'd be crushed. And it's completely normal for you to still miss him."

He nodded and smiled sadly. "Yeah, I know. It's just some days I can barely function and then I feel guilty for not being able to do what I need to do. I have a lot of plans, a lot that I want to do with my life and if I can't even get out of bed…"

"Hey, hey now." Chloe said, once again squeezing the man's hand. "You can't beat yourself up for your feelings. Some days, maybe you just need to stay in bed. It's nothing to be ashamed of. You've been through something terrible and you deserve to grieve."

The man finally smiled a little wider and squeezed her hand back. "Thanks a lot. I really appreciate it."

Chloe smiled. "Of course. I'm Chloe and you're welcome to come in here any time you need to talk."

"Thanks Chloe, I may just take you up on that." The man stood to his feet, Chloe quickly following his lead. "I'm James by the way." The dark haired man said, extending his hand.

Chloe smiled and accepted his hand just as she happened to glance over his shoulder where she saw Aubrey step into the shop and wave. The redhead waved back before turning her attention back to the young man. He was already gathering his things to exit so she simply reached and gave his arm another squeeze before she quickly walked over the where the blonde was waiting and pulled her in for a tight hug.

"Who was that, another devoted Chloe Beale fan?" Aubrey asked with a grin. "Was he hitting on you? Because I can have him arrested."

The redhead laughed and rolled her eyes. "No, actually he just needed a friend. The anniversary of his boyfriend's death is coming up and he was feeling a little down and just needed to chat."

Aubrey immediately felt guilty for teasing and glanced back to where the man had been sitting but he had already disappeared. "Poor guy. That was really sweet of you."

Chloe shrugged but grinned up the blonde and stepped back into her embrace. "I felt bad for him. But really, while he was talking, all I could think about was what a mess I'd be if I were in his shoes. I worry about you Aubrey."

"I know." Aubrey replied squeezing the shorter woman in her arms. "But like I said, I promise, most days my job is really boring. Besides…I always carry my secret weapon."

Chloe giggled as Aubrey pressed a kiss to her temple. She patted the blonde's back where she could just barely feel the small revolver holstered at the small of Aubrey's back. "Good. So, what can I get you? A caramel macchiato? A vanilla frap?"

Aubrey smirked. "Black coffee. Please."

"Ugh." The redhead groaned. "We've been together for months now. I'm so disappointed in myself for not being able to finally convince you of the wonders of sugar and syrup in coffee. I've failed miserably."

Aubrey laughed as she allowed the shorter woman to pull her up to the counter. "Fine, you can put a little vanilla and peppermint in…but just a little. And what do you want for dinner? I'll pick something up when I get off tonight."

"Pizza." Chloe replied, grinning over her shoulder at her girlfriend as she prepared the coffee drink.

"I should have known." Aubrey replied. "You do love pizza."

"I do love you."

The blonde smiled. "I'll never get tired of hearing that."

"My girlfriend, the FBI Agent…and sap." Chloe replied with a cheeky grin.

Aubrey leaned across the counter, Chloe meeting her halfway. They shared a tender kiss.

Outside on the corner, James stood gazing at the pair through the window. His jaw muscles clenched at the sight of the two and he balled his trembling fists in anger.

xxxx

A few weeks later, Aubrey sighed tiredly as she made her way up the steps to her apartment. It had been a long day at work and she was glad to finally be home. She had a few hours to unwind before Chloe arrived for dinner and the blonde was relieved to have some time to herself.

Another note had arrived at work. ' _I'm watching'_ was printed on a plain white card and it had arrived with just her name on it, no postmark and no return address. Wondering how the notes were getting into the department building without a trace was beginning to drive her a little crazy.

She stopped at her mailbox and pulled out a small stack. The blonde continued to her door, thumbing through the mail disinterestedly until she came across a familiar plain white envelope. Aubrey clenched her jaw and then strode purposefully the remaining distance to her door, slamming it behind her and slinging her suit jacket aside haphazardly. She couldn't be bothered to hang it up immediately as was her custom until she ripped into the envelope.

' _Soon._ '

Aubrey's hand was trembling slightly as she shoved the note into a drawer of her desk, with the other two that had arrived previously.

xxxx

Chloe arrived at Aubrey's apartment as planned for dinner but she could tell immediately that Aubrey was in a mood. The blonde was stiff in her greeting and seemed distant. Try as she might, pulling the other woman into conversation had proved futile. And so Chloe simply sat at the counter watching as Aubrey meticulously chopped the vegetables she was preparing for the dish.

"Do you need any help?" The redhead finally asked.

Aubrey tossed a halfhearted grin her way and simply shook her head.

Chloe nodded and sighed. Aubrey continued to move around the kitchen preparing the meal without saying more than one or two words if Chloe once again attempted to start a conversation. Finally, the food was in the oven and Aubrey seemed at a loss as to what to do with herself without a task.

Chloe quickly gathered two glasses and a bottle of wine. "Let's sit on the couch. I have a feeling you could use a glass of this."

The redhead sauntered into the next room and Aubrey reluctantly followed, dropping onto the sofa next to the other woman. Chloe poured a glass for her and passed it to her with a smile. Aubrey weakly returned the smile as she took the offered glass.

"Babe, what's wrong." Chloe asked finally. "You've been out of sorts all night. What's going on?"

Aubrey once again stiffened slightly but tried to force a smile to her face. "Nothing's wrong, how was your day?"

Chloe narrowed her eyes at the other woman. "My day was fine. And I've actually already told you all about it…while you were cooking dinner. Which you would know if you had been paying any attention. Which you would have done if there wasn't something wrong. So tell me, what's wrong?"

Aubrey immediately bristled. "I told you, nothing is wrong! Sometimes I just don't feel like talking incessantly ok?"

"Talking incessantly?" Chloe cried incredulously. "You think I talk _incessantly_? I suppose that's good to know. You could have told me you think I talk too much. Or would you like me to just shut up now? Or should I just leave?"

The blonde rolled her eyes which only served to fuel the redhead's anger. "Don't be ridiculous, why would you leave?"

"Because you obviously don't want company tonight! You've barely said two words to me all evening and I just asked that you tell me what's wrong-"

"I told you, nothing is wrong!" Aubrey snapped, cutting the other woman off. "Would you please just drop it? You just don't know when to quit."

"Oh you mean when to quit and shut my mouth?" Chloe hissed.

"Exactly." Aubrey replied with a sigh, seeming almost relieved. She closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, completely missing the look of anger that flashed over Chloe's face.

The redhead pushed herself up from the couch, the abrupt movement finally drawing Aubrey's attention. Realizing the shorter woman was well on her way to storming out of the apartment, the blonde quickly followed after her.

"Where are you going?" Aubrey yelled. "I made you dinner and now you're just going to leave?"

"Yep." Chloe replied, already shrugging on her jacket. "If you don't want to tell me what's bothering you, fine. But first you ignored me all night and then you picked a fight with me. So yes, I'm leaving."

"You're being ridiculous!" Aubrey exclaimed. "Stop acting like a child, you're an adult."

"Well at least I can communicate like one!" Chloe hissed. "And at least I'm not completely closed off and pushing away the only person around to care that you had a bad day!"

Aubrey clenched her jaw. "I'm not pushing you away. I'm just asking that you back off and give me a little peace and quiet! And now I've wasted an entire evening cooking a meal for you and now you're not even going to stay and eat it. That's a little inconsiderate I think!"

"Oh so, you cooked me dinner so now I'm required to stick around and let you insult me? What, are you going to say that I owe you sex for it too?"

"What?" Aubrey cried with an incredulous laugh. "Now you really are being stupid. And dramatic."

"Ya know, my mother always said you don't really know someone until you've fought with them…I'm starting to think maybe she's right. Sorry to have ruined your night with my _incessant_ talking."

The door slammed shut in Aubrey's face before she could even formulate a response. Seconds later the timer on the stove indicated that dinner was ready.

"Well fuck."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N – Last chapter, thanks for sticking around!

Chapter Four

The next morning Aubrey stormed into the office snapping at anyone who crossed her path. Beca eyed her cautiously for a few minutes before summoning the courage to approach the taller woman.

"So…rough night?"

The blonde leveled an icy glare on the brunette. "Not you too." She growled.

Beca quirked a brow and eyed her partner. Aubrey had dark circles under her eyes and her pantsuit was unusually less than crisp. It was clear she hadn't slept and was out of sorts.

"Ok, what happened?" Beca replied with a sigh. "What's wrong, did you have a fight with Chloe?"

"Why does something have to be wrong? Why can't I just have a night where I don't feel like talking? Why am I surrounded by incessant talking?"

Beca chuckled in spite of the blonde's obvious grumpiness. "Please tell me you didn't say that to Chloe."

Aubrey narrowed her eyes at Beca and the brunette could swear she saw steam. "Leave me alone."

"No." Beca replied with a smirk. "You've probably already made the mistake of pushing Chloe away when she is so obviously crazy about you. And perfect for you. She's the sweet to your salty, the happy to your grumpy…the sane to your neurotic-"

"Ok I get it!" Aubrey exclaimed before quickly glancing around to see if the other agents had taken notice of their conversation.

The blonde's demeanor quickly fell and she ran a hand over her face tiredly. Beca wasn't sure why or how she ended up with a soft spot for her uptight partner but she had and now she was intent on helping somehow.

"Come on."

Aubrey groaned but got to her feet and followed after the shorter woman. She followed her all the way to the gym on campus where the agents trained. They both got changed into workout clothes without a word. Beca tossed boxing gloves to the blonde and motioned her toward the punching bag where she had already taken up her position behind it.

"Well, come on, you need to get a little aggression out."

"This is ridiculous." Aubrey said, rolling her eyes.

"No seriously!" Beca exclaimed. "It's like a thing…punching something helps relieve tension. Not as well as sex but a close second. So let's go, punch it."

Aubrey once again rolled her eyes but halfhearted did as she was told.

"Come on Abe, you can do better than that!" Beca said with a smirk. "What's the matter, afraid to break a nail?"

"No!" the blonde yelled, swinging once again, this time with a little more enthusiasm. "I told you not to call me that! And I am not afraid of breaking a nail. Or of taking down asshole criminals. Or of stupid creepy messages."

Beca held the bag steady as Aubrey accentuated her words with punches, growing more forceful with each one. The brunette quirked a brow at Aubrey's last statement but shook her head in confusion. "Well what about of losing Chloe?"

At Beca's words, Aubrey stumbled and her swing went wide, missing the bag completely. She toppled to the ground. Instead of quickly getting back to her feet, Aubrey simply rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling with a sigh as she panted to catch her breath.

Beca saw the defeated look on the woman's face and took a seat next to her on the mat. "Alright, out with it…what happened?"

Aubrey sighed again, still flat on her back. "We fought. But I guess you already figured that out."

Beca nodded and motioned for the blonde to continue.

"It was so stupid. She just asked me what was bothering me. I didn't feel like talking and she kept pushing but I shouldn't have said…a lot of things. I didn't mean to be an ass but…I just didn't feel like talking!"

"Did you tell her that?" Beca asked calmly. "Or did you just go all mute and then snap?"

Aubrey cringed in answer and Beca nodded.

"Well," the brunette continued, "why don't you just apologize? I'm sure she'll be willing to talk about it. And let's face it, Chloe isn't the type to hold a grudge. She'll forgive you!"

"Maybe."

Beca nudged the other woman with her shoe until Aubrey finally met her gaze. "It's your choice dude. You either go talk to her and apologize or go back to being alone. And I gotta tell ya…we all appreciate how she's helped you unwind. You're much less of an uptight bitch when you're getting banged on the regular."

Aubrey quirked a brow but rolled her eyes at Beca's cheeky grin. "You're right…I just hope she'll see me."

"She will." Beca insisted. "What were you so upset about yesterday anyway?"

The blonde sighed and pulled herself into an upright, seated position. "It's stupid. I've just been getting these random messages at work and at home. I'm not one to easily freak out but they might be starting to get to me a little."

"What kind of messages?"

Aubrey shrugged and toyed with the hem of her t-shirt. "The first one said 'I haven't forgotten'. Then another said 'I know what you did'. Another said 'you'll pay'. There were a few others-"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Beca exclaimed. "Why am I just now hearing about this? Aubrey, this is serious, you're being threatened by some creep and you don't tell anyone?"

"I didn't think anything of it at first." The blonde replied sheepishly. "And I tried to track it down myself once, grilled the poor mail delivery kid, but he didn't know anything about it."

"Well someone had to have hand delivered it if it wasn't mailed. We'll figure it out. In the meantime, I think we should tell the Chief. Just as a precaution."

Aubrey rolled her eyes. "I don't want to make a big deal out of this. I'm sure it's nothing!"

"Aubrey, if you thought it was nothing, you wouldn't have gotten into a fight with Chloe because you wouldn't tell her that it was bothering you."

At the mention of Chloe and the argument, the blonde once again seemed to deflate.

"Just go talk to her." Beca said again. "Hey, I was right the last time I told you to go talk to her wasn't I? Trust me on this. Talk to her tonight as soon as you get out of here…in fact, leave early. Let's just go talk to the Chief and then you get out of here."

Aubrey wanted to argue but she found herself nodding in agreement and allowing the shorter woman to pull her to her feet.

xxxx

"She's not here."

Aubrey cringed slightly at Jesse's less than friendly tone. She nodded. "Is she really not here or did she tell you to say that because she doesn't want to talk to me? Which I deserve by the way."

Jesse narrowed his gaze at the woman standing before him. "She's really not here. But you're right, you would totally deserve that."

Aubrey chewed on her bottom lip and dropped her gaze. "I was a jerk, I know. And I want to apologize, that's why I came here. I thought she worked today…"

"She did." Jesse continued, still not warming up to the blonde. "But she was pretty upset so she cut out early."

The blonde felt her heart twist painfully at the thought of Chloe being upset. "I was a jerk, I get it. I just want to apologize and if she never wants to see me again I'll have to live with that. I just want to talk to her. Did she go home?"

"I'm not going to tell you that. Call her. If she wants to talk to you or tell you where she is, she will."

Aubrey sighed and nodded again. "Thank you Jesse. Have a good evening."

She slipped from the coffee shop without another word. Once she slid back into her car she tried dialing Chloe for the third time since leaving work. Once again her call went unanswered. She gripped the steering wheel tighter and drove until she reached the redhead's apartment complex.

Aubrey steeled her nerves and glanced down at her slightly rumpled suit jacket. She winced at her appearance but still lifted her fist and rapped on the door. She knocked again when her previous knock went unanswered.

She thought she heard shuffling inside the apartment so she knocked once again.

"Ugh, Ms. Myrtle, I'm fine! Please, no more chicken noodle soup. I'm just home to-"

The redhead jumped slightly at the sight of Aubrey standing on the other side of her door instead of her elderly neighbor who had already dropped off two helpings of soup, assuming the younger woman was home during a weekday due to sickness. Chloe's mouth snapped shut.

"Hello." Aubrey said softly.

Chloe pursed her lips and scuffed her foot on the hardwood floor. The blonde felt her heart flip at the sight of the woman in boxer shorts and a baggy sweatshirt, her feet clad in fuzzy socks. She looked adorable.

"Hi." Chloe replied, just as softly.

"Can I come in? I wouldn't blame you if you said no but…can I please come in?"

Chloe raised her eyes to meet Aubrey's gaze. The redhead swallowed thickly at Aubrey's appearance. She looked tired. And was she wearing a suit that hadn't been ironed? This was serious. Chloe held her ground, blocking entrance, until the blonde's bottom lip quivered. She was defenseless against the quiver and she knew it.

Chloe sighed and stepped to the side to allow Aubrey to enter. The blonde sniffled and gratefully stepped inside the apartment.

"Want something to drink or…some chicken noodle soup? I've got enough for an army." Chloe muttered glancing back toward the kitchen.

Aubrey smiled slightly and shook her head. She steeled her nerves and dove in. "I came to apologize Chloe…I'm sorry I was such a jerk. I shouldn't have taken it out on you! You're completely right! I'm closed off and you really are the only person who cares about me and I just pushed you away and I don't even know why I said you talk too much, you totally don't! I love listening to you talk, I really do. I'm so, so sorry Chloe. I'm such a mess, you deserve so much better and I wouldn't blame you if you never want to see me ag-"

"Ok whoa, Aubrey take a breath!" Chloe interrupted, stepping closer to the taller woman. She reached for the blonde's hands as tears began to leak from Aubrey's eyes. "First of all…I love you. I meant that the first time I said it to you and I've meant it every single time since. I love you. I don't deserve, or _want_ , anyone other than you!"

Aubrey's breath hitched and Chloe's heart clenched at the hope she saw shining in her green eyes.

"And I'm sorry too." The redhead continued. "I shouldn't have pushed. I know you're a little more…reserved and I should have trusted you to talk to me when you were ready. It just felt like you were shutting me out so I just kept pressing. I can be a little pushy sometimes. And plus, those hateful things I said…I'm really sorry Aubrey. Just because you're reserved, that doesn't mean people don't care about you, they do! And I love you so much! So please…forgive me?"

Aubrey stared into Chloe's gaze for a few heartbeats as if trying to determine if the other woman was telling the truth. When Chloe smiled sweetly back at her, Aubrey sighed in relief. She felt as if a weight had been lifted and she could finally breathe again. "I love you."

Chloe stepped closer and slipped her arms around the blonde's slender waist, squeezing her tightly. Aubrey pulled her close and buried her face in the shorter woman's hair.

"So how about that chicken noodle soup?" Chloe asked finally. "Seriously, please have some with me. I'll be eating it for months otherwise."

Aubrey chuckled and nodded. They wandered into the kitchen hand in hand and Chloe set about warming up the soup for them. Aubrey simply watched her as she worked.

"I'm sorry you had a bad day yesterday." Chloe said softly as she placed their bowls on the table and took a seat across from the other woman. "Is today better?"

"It is now." Aubrey replied, reaching to take Chloe's hand. "I'm sorry I pushed you away. I'll try harder to be more open with you. I'm just not used to people asking or…caring. Other than Beca anyway. She can be a real nosy little bitch."

Chloe laughed and squeezed Aubrey's hand. "I knew I liked her. But seriously, just talk to me, even if it's just to say 'hey, had a shit day, don't really feel like talking about it, but here, let me give you a foot rub'."

Aubrey was finally relaxed enough to laugh as well and rolled her eyes. "A foot rub, I'll remember that next time. But really, I shouldn't have even made such a big deal out of it, I'm sure it's nothing."

"A work thing?" Chloe asked as she stirred her soup.

The blonde nodded and sighed as she too idly began to twirl her spoon in her soup. "Beca made me go to the Chief with it though…And she also suggested maybe I should take a few days off and lay low but it's happened at home too."

"Aubrey," Chloe interjected, "I want to be perfectly clear here, if you don't want to tell me you absolutely don't have to tell me…but what the hell are you talking about? What's been happening? Are you ok?"

The blonde sighed again and smiled wryly. "Sorry, I forgot I just stewed over it and didn't actually tell you anything. Again, I'm sure it's nothing but…I've been getting these weird notes at work. And even one or two at home."

"What kind of notes?"

Aubrey shrugged and once again began to swirl her soup. "Well, not threatening exactly. But creepy. Like, 'I haven't forgotten', or 'I'm waiting', or 'You'll pay'. Just stuff like that."

Chloe sat motionless, wide eyed as Aubrey remained perfectly calm while relaying the information. "Aubrey…this sounds serious! How are you so calm about this?"

The blonde met Chloe's worried gaze and shrugged again. "Well so far that's all it's been, notes. I can take care of myself. I have all the proper training to protect myself-"

"Aubrey you deal with crazies all the time!" Chloe exclaimed. "They could come out of nowhere or something. And this guy knows where you live! Ok, you're staying here with me, no arguments."

Aubrey chuckled. "I was hoping we'd be together tonight. I didn't sleep at all last night…I missed you."

Chloe once again reached for Aubrey's hand. "I missed you too! We spend pretty much every night together, I've kind of gotten used to you. We should maybe start thinking about moving in together…But for the time being you're staying here because it's safer."

Aubrey felt a grin pulling at her face at the mention of them moving in together and she ignored the rest of the redhead's statement. "You want to move in together?"

"Of course I do." Chloe replied with a grin of her own. "I love you Aubrey. Maybe we should get a dog! Like a guard dog or something…or a cat. They're pretty badass too."

Aubrey laughed again and squeezed Chloe's hand. "Whatever you want."

xxxx

Aubrey had to admit the past two weeks had been nearly perfect. She had all but moved in with Chloe, at the redhead's insistence since she heard about the notes arriving at Aubrey's apartment. Everything about the apartment felt like home, even when Chloe was out. The blonde felt more at home there than she ever had in her place. But again, she suspected it had more to do with who she was sharing the home with and not the apartment itself.

And the notes seemed to have stopped as well. Aubrey hoped they were merely an angry person venting and now they had sent their fill and would simply fade away. As much as she hated to admit it, the messages had begun to get to the blonde.

She had gone back to work after taking only a handful of days off. Beca seemed to be watching her like a hawk and followed her nearly everywhere. Aubrey simply rolled her eyes and allowed the shorter woman to follow her if it made her feel better. The blonde couldn't help but smile, realizing Beca wasn't doing it to aggravate her, but more so because she actually did care about her. She even though about inviting her partner to their apartment for dinner one night.

She really was becoming a sap. Chloe was clearly rubbing off on her. With a smile, Aubrey had to admit to herself that she didn't mind at all.

xxxx

Chloe grunted under the strain of the heavy trash bag as she slowly made her way into the alleyway behind Bellas where the dumpsters were located. "Should have reminded Jesse to take this shit out before he left." She mumbled.

She grunted again as she hefted the bag up and into the large bin. The redhead nodded resolutely to herself and dusted her hands off. She turned on her heel and yelped in surprise when she came face to face with a tall dark haired man. Chloe chuckled and pressed a hand to her chest when his face finally registered as the man who had poured his heart out to her those weeks ago.

"James, geez you scared me!" She exclaimed with a smile. "Sorry, we're closed now…but I don't mind grabbing you something quick. You doing ok?"

"You seem like a really great person Chloe."

The redhead narrowed her eyes at the cold tone to the man's voice. "Um…thanks?"

"That's why I'm really sorry to have to do this…but you shouldn't have gotten involved with her."

Chloe could only gasp in surprise before James quickly swung his arm, a portion of metal pipe clutched firmly in his fist. She crumpled to the ground in an unmoving heap.

xxxx

Aubrey tried once again to call Chloe to see what she wanted for dinner but the call went unanswered. By this time the shop was closed and Chloe would have had time to finish closing down and at least pick up her phone. She sighed as she once again put her phone in her jacket pocket.

The blonde smiled when she felt her phone buzz seconds later, certain Chloe was calling her back. She pulled the phone out, a frown forming when she saw it was a text message instead of Chloe.

 _You have a lovely girlfriend._

Aubrey quirked a brow and stared down at the unfamiliar number. She was just about to delete the text message when another message popped up. The blonde squinted as she tried to make out the picture that was included in the most recent message. She clicked to open the picture to get a better view as her phone once again chirped signaling additional messages.

When the first picture opened, Aubrey felt a wave of uneasiness wash over her. It was a picture of Chloe through the coffee shop window. The second picture was also of Chloe, alone in the back alley behind Bellas.

Aubrey's heart was hammering in her chest as she opened the third picture. She reached a hand to steady herself against the side of the building at the sight of Chloe bound with her hands behind her back and sitting in a hunched position.

 _Do I have your attention? Warehouse 15 on the docks. Come alone. Better hurry._

Aubrey paid no attention to the looks from people on the street as she bolted for her car. The thought came to her as she ran to her car that she still had no idea who this person was or what he wanted with her. She also had no idea what she was about to walk into but none of that mattered.

xxxx

Chloe's first realization was that her head was splitting. Her second was that she couldn't move. Her vision finally cleared and she glanced around. She quickly realized she was strapped tightly to a chair with her hands tied behind her back. A man was standing nearby looking at his phone. James. And then suddenly she remembered the alley.

"James?" She asked tentatively. "What's going on? Why am I here?"

He glanced up and with a sigh stepped closer. A shiver shot down her spine at the cold look on his face.

"I apologize again Chloe, I really do." He replied. "But you got involved with the wrong woman. It's her fault you're here…her fault that you're going to have to die."

"Jesus." Chloe hissed. "What is wrong with you? How do you even know Aubrey? I was nice to you!"

James sighed again and nodded. "You were and because of that I almost changed my mind about this. Almost. But she has to pay. And unfortunately for you, that means you're not only the bait, but you're what is going to hurt her the most. She loves you…so naturally she can't have you."

"I don't understand." Chloe said softly. "Is this…is this about your boyfriend? Or was that all a lie? What does Aubrey have to do with him?"

"Don't talk about him in the same breath as her." James snarled. "She has to pay! She killed him!"

"You don't know anything about her!" Chloe replied desperately, hoping to reason with him. "She is a good person and-"

"Shut up!" He screamed in rage, lunging at the woman, fists balled.

James was trembling when he finally collected himself. He was panting slightly and his fists were still clenched tightly. He glanced down at his hands and grimaced at the sight of his split and bloody knuckles.

The man sighed when he finally took in the sight of Chloe slumped sideways in the chair. James roughly pushed her into an upright position and secured a gag in her mouth to avoid any further outbursts from the woman.

"Now we wait."

xxxx

Aubrey braced herself against the side of the building, her pistol firmly in her grip, and exhaled slowly to steady her breathing. She quickly glanced heavenward as if searching for some sign of guidance. All of her training led her to this moment. However, never in her training did she feel that her entire world was hanging in the balance.

"Come on in Agent Posen." The voice sounded from inside the warehouse. "Glad to see you got my invitation."

The blonde clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on her pistol before she turned and eased her way through the doorway. She kept the gun raised in front of her as she quickly scanned her surroundings. Aubrey clenched her jaw when she finally spotted them.

Chloe was seated in a wooden chair, her arms tied behind her back. She was completely still with her head lowered, her red hair tousled and wild and draped over her shoulders, blocking her face from view. A dark haired man was squatting behind the chair with a wide grin on his face as Aubrey inched her way closer. The fading sunlight glinted off the blade in his hand as he raised it to the redhead's neck. Chloe didn't move.

"I came like you asked." Aubrey said, willing her voice to remain steady and not betray her true feelings. Chloe still didn't move, even at the sound of Aubrey's voice. "Step away from her and let's settle this."

James chuckled and shook his head. "Now, now, Aubrey-may I call you Aubrey? That's not how this is going to go down. I'm the one with a knife-a very _sharp_ knife-pressed to your girl's throat here. So I'm calling the shots. Drop the gun."

"For all I know she's already dead." Aubrey said softly, trying to buy time as her mind reeled through her options.

The man chuckled again but rolled his eyes. "Come on now Aubrey, do you honestly think I would drag you all the way down here to save your lady love just to kill her before you got the chance? To rob you of your hope just like that? Does that really sound like something I would do? Ok…it totally is something I'd do, you're right. But have no fear…I haven't killed her yet. I intend to make sure you watch it happen. That's the whole point of this…to see your face as you watch her die, watch the most important thing in your life slip away from you. I wasn't given that chance…I had to hear about it on the fucking news."

With that, James reached with his free hand and fisted Chloe's hair and roughly jerked her head backwards.

Aubrey felt her stomach clench at the sight of the gash above the redhead's eye as well as the bloody gag in her mouth. But Chloe winced and groaned at the rough movement. Now that her red hair wasn't draped and shielding her chest from sight, Aubrey could make out the blood stains on her shirt.

Chloe groaned again and blinked rapidly, trying to clear her senses. Her vision finally cleared and her eyes widened as her gaze landed on Aubrey. Her breathing grew rapid and she swallowed thickly against the blade still pressed to her throat.

"Happy?" James said with a smirk. "Now drop the gun or I'll make her death slow and painful instead of quick like a nice girl like her deserves."

Aubrey exhaled slowly and finally loosened her grip on her weapon. She raised one hand in a placating manor as she slowly lowered the gun and placed it on the ground in front of her. She eased back into an upright position, her hands still clearly visible in front of her.

"There." She said softly. "I'll do what you want, just let Chloe go. This isn't about her."

"Oh isn't it?" James laughed bitterly. "I have a score to settle with you Agent Posen. An eye for an eye. And I'm very sorry that Chloe here has to suffer for your sins, she seems like a really nice person, she really does. But she made the mistake of getting involved with you and now you only have yourself to blame for her pain. I'm going to take the thing that you love most away from you just like you did me. Say goodbye Aubrey."

Chloe screamed against the gag in her mouth as the blade dug deeper into the flesh of her neck. A thin trickle of blood began to spill as he sliced through her skin.

"Who _are_ you?" Aubrey cried desperately, taking a step closer. "Your attempt at revenge would go a lot further if I had any clue as to what I've allegedly done to wrong you. But I don't even know who you are!"

James snarled but her words had the desired effect and he stilled his hand. Chloe hissed in pain and choked against the gag in her mouth.

"You don't even know." He hissed. "After all this and you don't even know what you did. You fucking piece of shit! You didn't deserve to pick up his garbage! And you killed him! I loved him and you took him from me…for no good reason! What we did was art and you people treated it like it was some disgusting trash. Myles was brilliant…an artist! And you fucking shot him like some worthless criminal."

Aubrey's jaw dropped as memories of her early days with the Bureau came flooding back. Myles. Her lip curled in disgust inadvertently. "Myles Jones…the child pornographer? That's what this is about?"

"Don't you say his name!" James bellowed, rising to his full height in his anger. He kept one hand fisted in Chloe's hair and the knife pressed firmly to her neck with the other. "You robbed me of the love of my life! You killed him!"

"Because he pulled a gun when we went to take him in!" Aubrey replied tensely, eyeing both James and Chloe's vulnerable positions. "He shot and killed an agent, I didn't have a choice!"

The man snarled again and rolled his eyes. "He wasn't hurting anyone and you had no right. _You had no right_! He was beautiful and we were beautiful together! And you fucking killed him. You killed the love of my life and now I'm going to return the favor. I've been waiting for this day for years. Say goodbye Agent Posen."

Time seemed to slow. Aubrey's heart seemed to still as James dropped his gaze to Chloe, a sickening grin on his face. In one fluid motion, Aubrey reached for the small revolver still tucked into the back of her pants underneath her jacket and swung her arm. She exhaled steadily as she aimed and fluidly squeezed the trigger.

The blonde's quick motion caught James' attention and his eyes flickered in her direction. His eyes barely had time to widen in surprise before his head snapped backwards from the force of the bullet ripping through his forehead.

The knife slipped from his hand as James toppled backwards. Aubrey kept the gun trained on the downed man as she quickly made her way to where Chloe had hunkered down in the chair as far away from him as she could manage.

Aubrey kept her attention on James only long enough to be certain her aim had been true. Unseeing eyes stared back up at her with blood pooling underneath his lifeless body. She quickly whirled back to Chloe and dropped to her knees next to the trembling woman.

"Chloe!" Aubrey quickly reached and unfastened the gag from Chloe's mouth and cupped the redhead's cheeks in her hands. "It's ok, I'm here Chloe. You're ok. You're ok baby."

Aubrey quickly scanned Chloe's face and, taking in the bruises and cuts. The gash above her eye seemed to be the main source of the blood stains to her shirt but her lip was also split and a number bruises were beginning to form on her cheeks and one eye was already black and badly swollen as well. Blood was also still trailing down her neck from where James had cut her.

The blonde thumbed away tears that began to leak from Chloe's eyes and brushed a gentle kiss to the woman's forehead. "You're safe now Chloe, I've got you. I'm just going to untie your hands ok? I'm not going anywhere, I just need to untie you ok?"

She waited for the redhead to nod before breaking contact with her. Aubrey then quickly slipped behind the chair and untied Chloe's hands. As soon as she was free, Chloe fell into Aubrey's arms as the taller woman helped ease her out of the chair.

Still with one arm wrapped securely around the redhead, Aubrey fished her cell phone out and quickly dialed for help.

"Ok babe, they're on the way. Help is coming and then we'll get you all checked out ok? You're ok, everything is fine. You're safe."

Chloe's adrenaline seemed to be fading and her injuries were once again getting the best of her, particularly her head wound. But she nodded against Aubrey's shoulder. "I knew you'd come." She whispered.

Aubrey squeezed the shorter woman in her arms and once again gently pressed her lips to Chloe's forehead. "Of course I came for you, I love you Chloe… And you finally got my coffee order right…I'm not about to go through the trouble of breaking in a new barista."

Chloe chuckled softly. "Plain black coffee, got it. You could have brewed your own cup for a lot cheaper ya know."

"Maybe." Aubrey replied, smiling softly. "But then I wouldn't have gotten to see you every morning."

Chloe winced slightly as she lifted her head to get a better view of the woman still cradling her tenderly. She smiled finally. "I knew it, I knew that's why you came in every day. I love you Agent Posen."

"I love you too." Aubrey whispered. "And I'm so sorry I got you into this. I'm so sorry he hurt you…God, I've never been so scared…I'm so sorry Chloe!"

It was Aubrey's turn to tear up slightly and Chloe smiled as she dropped her head back to the blonde's shoulder once again. "I'm ok Aubrey, I'm ok."

A few minutes later Beca came rushing in with a handful of other agents and EMT's. "Jesus Christ Aubrey! There's such a thing as backup! What the fuck were you thinking?"

Aubrey smiled in relief as the medics quickly began to tend to Chloe. She kept the redhead's hand firmly in her own as they moved to load the injured woman onto a stretcher. "Nice to see you too Beca." She called over her shoulder.

"Holy shit." Beca muttered, her gaze drifting between Chloe and the dead man's body. "You know there is going to be a shit ton of paperwork for this right?"

The blonde simply shrugged at the brunette before disappearing out the door, still holding tightly to Chloe's hand.

"Sure…I'll just take care of…all of this then." Beca called after her.

xxxx

Hours later when Beca arrived at the hospital to check up on Chloe, she found Aubrey perched in a chair next to the redhead's bed where she was sleeping soundly. The lights were dimmed in the room with only a soft lamp shining from the wall behind the bed.

"Hey, how is she?" The brunette asked softly, stepping closer.

Aubrey smiled at her partner as she stepped closer and rose from her spot next to the bed. "She's going to be ok." She replied quietly. "Stitches and a concussion. They're keeping her overnight for observation but she should get out of here tomorrow."

"That's awesome." Beca said with a nod. "I'm glad she's ok. But you should get your ass kicked for barging in there all alone. You could have been killed Aubrey!"

"Quiet!" Aubrey hissed, glancing back toward the bed. "She needs to rest. And yes, I'm aware that going into a situation like that alone is dangerous but I didn't have time to plan a full operation. I had to get her out of there. Don't tell me you would have done anything differently because I know you wouldn't have."

Beca smirked and elbowed the taller woman. "That's because I'm the badass in this partnership Posen. And don't you forget it."

Before Aubrey could reply, Chloe stretched and stirred in the bed. "Aubrey?" She mumbled, her voice slurred from a combination of sleep and medication.

The blonde quickly slipped back to the redhead's side and took her hand. "I'm right here babe. You ok, need anything?"

Chloe grinned, still only half awake. "'m ok." She mumbled again. "Is that Becs?"

Beca stepped closer to the bed as well and gave a small wave. "Hey there Chloe. You're really rocking that black eye! Looks awesome."

Aubrey leveled a glare on the brunette while Chloe simply chuckled. "It's 'cause I'm awesome. And Bree's awesome…she saved me."

"Bree." Beca repeated with a cheeky grin. "Was that a nickname? Did Aubrey Posen approve of a frivolous nickname? Agent Bree Posen, nice ring to it."

Aubrey rolled her eyes before turning back to her girlfriend and giving her hand a squeeze. "Sure you don't need anything? Water, another pain pill?"

Chloe smiled up at the blonde and shook her head, the movement causing her to grimace slightly.

"Ok," Beca said, seeing the other woman's discomfort, "I should get going and let you rest. I just wanted to check in on you. I'll come back tomorrow. I'm really glad you're ok Chloe!"

"K." Chloe replied after the other woman had already turned to leave. "I love you Beca, you're my best friend! You an' Jesse. He likes you by the way. Totally loves you an' wants to make cute lil brunette babies with you."

Beca's face paled slightly and she stumbled. She turned back and narrowed her eyes at Aubrey who was trying unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. Chloe simply continued to smile up at Aubrey, oblivious. The brunette shook her head and slipped quietly from the room.

Aubrey turned back to Chloe and eased herself to sit on the edge of the bed. The redhead sighed and blinked sleepily up at the blonde as Aubrey brushed a lock of hair from her forehead, careful to avoid any bruises.

"How bad is it?" Chloe asked.

The blonde smiled, somewhat sadly. "Beca was right, you're totally rocking that black eye. Just a few bruises and stitches but you'll be good as new in no time. Although I doubt Jesse is ever going to forgive me for this one…he barely spoke to me for days after we fought."

The redhead chuckled softly. "He'll forgive you…you saved me…my hero."

"Technically you helped save yourself by giving me that gun." Aubrey replied, lifting the injured woman's hand to press a kiss to it. "I don't know what I would have done if…"

"I'm ok." Chloe slurred again, squeezing the blonde's hand. "I knew you would save me."

Aubrey smiled tenderly. "You should be sleeping. And then tomorrow we'll get you out of here and you can rest in your own bed…you'll be much more comfortable there I'm sure."

Chloe grew serious and tightened her grip on Aubrey's hand. "You'll stay with me?"

The blonde felt her heart clench, assuming the redhead was still afraid after her ordeal. "Of course I will Chloe. But you don't have to be scared, you're safe now."

Chloe smiled and once again tried to shake her head, the movement again causing her to wince. "I know that. I'm not scared. I just want you to stay with me…forever. Ya know?"

Aubrey couldn't keep the wide smile from her face as Chloe's words registered. She finally nodded. "I'd like that. In fact…we could get a place together…once you're feeling better of course. Or I don't mind moving into your apartment…whatever you want."

"Awesome." Chloe replied, still smiling but struggling to keep her eyes open.

"I love you Chloe." Aubrey whispered, leaning down to press her lips to the redhead's forehead.

"Love you too Bree." She responded, finally drifting off to sleep again.

Aubrey smiled down at the woman as she nestled comfortably into the pillow. Maybe having a nickname wasn't such a bad thing after all.

 **The End.**


End file.
